Violist Jing Chen received her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in viola performance with additional emphasis on socio-cultural linguistic anthropology and French literature. She completed her Masters in New Music with Professor Barbara Maurer at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen-Werden where she specialized in contemporary solo repertoire and mixed media collaborations. She is passionate about sharing music education and performances with all audiences, especially young students like her younger self who faced barriers to concerts and resources. She resides in Solingen, Germany where she is active as the music librarian for the Bergische Symphoniker and performs with her contemporary music ensembles.