Born in Taipei but raised in Australia, Ray Chen began studying the violin as a child and was admitted at the age of 15 to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Aaron Rosand. In 2008, he won the Yehudi Menuhin Competitions where he was noticed by violinist Maxime Vengerov, who was present as a member of the jury and who gave a positive opinion of the young Chen. The following year, he won the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

In 2010 he signed with Sony, with whom he released three albums recording various violin concertos, including Tchaikovsky's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Op. 64. Over the years he has performed as a soloist with various orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

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