Breaking a string is something that will often take string players by surprise at the best of times, let alone mid-performance. In this recent video, star violinist Ray Chen breaks his E-string in the middle of the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony. Wearing a face mask doesn’t hide Chen’s surprise when it happens, nor his relief after his violin is passed down the first violin section as he swaps instruments with the concertmaster, to a ripple of applause from the audience. The show must go on, after all…

Read: Sentimental Work: Ray Chen

Read: Ray Chen: What do you do when your E-string breaks in a concert?

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