Catharina Chen

Catharina’s status as one of Norway’s most promising classical musicians and her appearances through Norwegian television and radio broadcast programs has made her well known in her home country. In 2012, Catharina was appointed as the youngest 1.Concertmaster of The Norwegian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. She is the recipient of numerous awards, winning 1st prize in consecutive national violin competitions. Catharina is the youngest musician in Norway ever to be awarded the highly respected and prestigious Oslo City Artist Prize in 2003. International awards include Grand Prize and the “Best Artistic Performance” in the third International Gnessin Violin Competition in Moscow, Russia. Norwegian-born Catharina Chen has soloed with many major orchestras since the age of 8 such as Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, ZKO-Zuricher Chamber Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Beverly Hills Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Slovenska Filharmonia. As a soloist and recitalist, Catharina has appeared at concert venues around the world; Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Mozarteum Grosse Hall in Salzburg, Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. With Chinese roots, Catharina has been active to combine and unify Norwegian and Chinese music. She recently took part in the prestigious “Intro Classical” program, a three-year program for introducing the highest level of young classical musicians, described as the toughest music competition in Norway. Catharina Chen plays a Jean Baptiste Vuilaumme (built in France in 1859) and a Domenico Montagnana (Venezia, 1730- 40), kindly lent by the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation.