Violinist Stella Chen to perform with Elgin Symphony Orchestra

Violinist Stella Chen, the Gramophone 2023 Young Artist of the Year, will perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at the Elgin Symphony Orchestra concerts on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2.

“Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is truly one of the most exquisite concertos ever written. It pushes both the soloist and the orchestra to expressive extremes, demanding them to explore the full range of human emotions. Every moment has to have the right nuance and the right character. We are so fortunate to be performing this concerto with one of the most gifted violinists on the scene today, Stella Chen,” said Music Director Chad Goodman in a news release.

Goodman has paired the Beethoven concerto with English composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams' exhilarating and lush Symphony No. 5. The concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1 and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2 at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.

According to the news release, Chen first garnered worldwide attention with her first-prize win at the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition. She has also won the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.

She has appeared across North America, Europe and Asia in concerto, recital and chamber music performances. She recently made debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Baltimore Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra and many others and appeared at the Vienna Musikverein and Berlin Philharmonie. In recital, recent appearances include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Phillips Collection, Rockport Music Festival and Nume Festival in Italy. She appears frequently with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center both in New York and on tour.

Tickets start at $20 for adults. Student tickets are $10, and children age 17 and younger qualify for free tickets when accompanied by a paid adult.

Tickets are available at ElginSymphony.org or by calling or visiting the ESO Box Office, 847-888-4000, 20 DuPage Court, Elgin. The ESO Box Office is open Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Free youth tickets can only be ordered through the ESO Box Office.