DEDICATED VIOLINIST CONTINUES TO PLAY CONCERTO WITH A MID-SOLO BROKEN STRING

We all have heard the saying, “The show must go on?” Well, a dedicated violinist, Ray Chen, is a proper example of the famous saying. 

Chen, who is well known for his passion and energy, displayed immense show spirit at the Benaroya Hall while he was performing his solo of Tchailkovsky’s Violin Concerto. Chen turned what could have been a potential catastrophe into an enjoyable moment for everyone. 

During the performance onstage, his E-string strings abruptly snapped which caught the violinist by surprise. Even though this could have been a very stressful moment, not to mention a show stopper, Chen calmly continued to play momentarily. He singled the conductor Ludovic Morlot, before seamlessly exchanging instruments with a nearby violin player.

Another violinist quickly tend to Chen’s violin and replaced the E-string which is the thinnest string with the highest tension. After using the alternate violin for one movement, Chen was  reunited with his own Stradivarius violin to complete the rest of the concerto.

Chen said, “Welp. It happened again folks. Not really sure what I’ve done to anger the string-gods, but this was a spectacularly awkward, yet exciting moment to break an E-string! Special thanks to the quick thinking of Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot and the Benaroya Hall."