Ray Chin says classical music doesn’t have to be confined to the concert hall.
Since arriving in Nanaimo from South Korea two years ago, the violinist has been performing his repertoire all over town, from VIU to the downtown and in churches, hospitals and retirement homes.
He said playing in non-traditional venues lets him see his music differently.
“Music can be just played everywhere, regardless of where you are,” he said. “I’ve been training myself really hard to perform everywhere so that I’ll get more confidence to play wherever I am. Because if you don’t have many experiences and if you don’t know how to express yourself, the whole thing that you have been practising for, then it is meaningless.”
On Sept. 20 Chin performs in another new setting, surrounded by art at the Nanaimo Arts Council. Among his repertoire are classical pieces by European composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Dvorak, as well as works from his native South Korea.
“I’m very confident to be emotionally connected to those pieces that I’ve been really working on…” he said. “They are more proper for this particular concert because it’s happening at the art gallery and I thought about the environment and felt these pieces that I chose might be really good.”
Chin has been playing the violin for more than 20 years, choosing to focus on the instrument after partaking in a number of competitions as a child.
He said he hopes his arts council performance offers listeners a calming respite from their otherwise demanding daily lives.
“I know people tend to get a lot of stress from their lives because it’s really hard to live these days, so … I hope they can get a lot of relaxation and also peace in their mind when they listen to my music,” Chin said. “And I’m actually really grateful because that is what I was practising for: making people’s mind very peaceful my making myself peaceful first.”
WHAT’S ON … Ray Chin performs at the Nanaimo Arts Council, 78 Wharf St., on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. $15 at the door.
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