Yibai Chen

Shanghai

Berlin & Shanghai

Cello

A bit piano

To be a great human being and musician like Yo-Yo Ma and to make people fall in love with music.

Cellist. If not, something to do with music anyway.

Competition stages, all solo, chamber, orchestra performances and teaching as an assistant to my professor at UdK Berlin.

Chamber music with musicians who are fully devoted to music with sincerity. Because only this way can unify different personalities, ideas and emotions through music making.

Schubert. My favorite composer who sadly hasn’t left any piece for cello and piano. Ok, at least we successfully convinced people that the “Arpeggione Sonata” is a cello piece : )

Making/listening to good music!!!

Duo recital with Marimba?! It’s probably the most unusual instrument that I’ve played with for a whole recital.

Be sincere and passionate with all the music you play and all the people who you play with.

People treat classical music as a kind of necessary belief that can evoke the kindness from their deep souls and humanity.

Complete Beethoven works for Piano and Cello to commemorate his 200th anniversary in 2027.

Leipzig is a place where music feels deeply rooted – from Bach at St. Thomas Church to the Gewandhaus tradition and Mendelssohn’s spirit of course.

Berlin-based cellist Yibai Chen is one of the most compelling musicians today. He has attracted international attention for his magnetic stage presence, expressive depth, and refined technical command. Critics have described his playing as “nothing short of remarkable”, “flawless technique” and “sincere tenderness and sensitivity.” La Libre Belgique praised his playing as “came down like a light, taking us to another world”. Renowned violinist Daniel Hope has said: “Yibai impressed me enormously from the very first moment I heard him. He is a tremendous talent!” Since his breakthrough at the Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition 2022, Yibai has developed an active international career performing with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide. This exceptional artistry has recently been recognized by two of the most influential classical music institutions. In 2026, Yibai was named a Classic FM Rising Star and was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist — one of the most prestigious and internationally recognized artist development programs. In season 26/27, Yibai will appear with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Kellen Gray, BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Duncan Ward, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra/Muhai Tang, Verona Theatre Philharmonic Orchestra/Stepan Armasar and recording project with BBC Symphony Orchestra. In the recent seasons, he has appeared twice with Belgian National Orchestra under Hugh Wolff and Joshua Weilerstein at the Bozar Brussels. The China NCPA Orchestra invited him to perform both Shostakovich’s Cello Concertos over two evenings with Lawrence Foster. Together with Long Yu, he has played P. Glass’ Cello Concerto No.1 with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Chinese premiered Korngold Cello Concerto with China Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also collaborated with Brussels Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony, Basel Symphony, Janáček Philharmonic, Enescu Philharmonic, St.Petersburg Philharmonic, Hagen Philharmonic, Czech Chamber Philharmonic, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio and conductors such as Eivind Aadland, Stéphane Denève, Muhai Tang, Jia Lü, Daniel Raiskin, Christian Ehwald, Nikolay Alexeev, Vassily Sinaisky, Vahan Mardirossian. As a regular festival guest, Yibai has performed at many of the world’s most prestigious festivals, including the Chopin and His Europe Festival, George Enescu Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Con Spirito Leipzig Chamber Music Festival, Nymphenburger Sommer, Telavi Music Festival, Z+Music Festival (Shanghai Symphony), among others. As a chamber musician, Yibai and his long-time duo partner, pianist Boyang Shi, have appeared at venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Shanghai Concert Hall, and Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore. In 2023, the duo presented a highly acclaimed tour across Asia of the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven. Music Weekly China wrote that “their interpretation of Beethoven showcases a mastery and depth that transcend their age.” Yibai has also collaborated with distinguished artists such as Arabella Steinbacher, Daniel Hope, Ning Feng, Paul Huang, Martin Helmchen, Nils Mönkemeyer, Sarah McElravy, Adrien La Marca and Julian Bliss. Yibai’s competition achievements further highlight his exceptional talent. In addition to his success at the Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition, he has been a major prize winner at the Lutoslawski Cello Competition 2018, the George Enescu Cello Competition 2018 and the Tchaikovsky Cello Competition 2019. Yibai’s artistic development was profoundly shaped by his mentor, Professor Danjulo Ishizaka, under whom he studied at the Music Academy Basel and a Konzertexamen degree at the University of the Arts Berlin. He currently serves as Prof. Ishizaka’s teaching assistant at the University of the Arts Berlin and is Artist-in-Residence at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He is also an ambassador for the renowned German publisher Henle Verlag. Yibai performs on a cello by Giuseppe Guadagnini (ca.1780), generously loaned by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben Hamburg.

Photo: LIN