CHEN Yin hails from a musical family. At the age of nine, he started learning from his grandfather, the pioneer of Chinese orchestra and pipa educator, Professor CHEN Jilue. He graduated with honours from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 1985 and was assigned to the China Broadcast National Orchestra in the same year. Then he studied under famous professors such as HAN Shude, PAN Fengming, WANG Fandi, LIN Shicheng, as well as LI Guangzu, the master of WANG school and was advised by famous experts such as PENG Xiuwen, YANG Dajun, YU Liangmo. From 1998 to 2001, he studied at the China Conservatory of Music and participated in the "National Vocal Music and Instrumental Music Graduate Class" organized by the Ministry of Culture. He is Principal Pipa of the China Broadcast National Orchestra, head of plucking music section, national first-class actor, guest professor of Sichuan Conservatory of Music, and Vice President of the Pipa Society of the Chinese Nationalities Orchestra Society.
CHEN Yin won the first prize of the "Rongcheng Autumn" Pipa Competition in 1982 and the third prize of the "ART Cup" International Pipa Competition in 1989. In 1986, at the invitation of Mr. Tomita, the famous Japanese musician, as the only musician from China, he participated in the commemorative performance for the 100th anniversary of the "Statue of Liberty" jointly held by China, Japan, the U.S. and the former Soviet Union in New York. He played an ancient pipa song King Chu Doffs His Armor for an audience of 100,000 and was highly praised. After that, he has held many pipa solo concerts at the Macau International Arts Festival, the Portuguese International Arts Festival, the Taipei Arts Festival and in Japan. He also performed the classic A Moonlit Night on The Spring River twice in Musikverein.
His major pipa works include Mountain Dance, Mountain Rhyme, Autumn Moon Rhyme, Spring, and Turning Around (composed by MO Fan and CHEN Yin). His major adaptations include Sunshine on Taxkorgan (arranged by CHEN Gang, adapted by CHEN Yin), The Ancient Tea Horse Road (composed by WU Hua, adapted by CHEN Yin), Ashma Narrative Poem (composed by YI ke, ZHANG Baoqing, and YI Jiayi, adapted by CHEN Yin), etc.
His major articles include Thoughts on Contemporary Pipa Music Creation, Giant on Stage: PENG Xiuwen and His Traditional Orchestral Art, Fifty Years of Teaching, Students All Around the World: Professor WANG Fandi and His Pipa Art, My Experience in Adapting Sunshine on Taxkorgan.
The famous traditional music master PENG Xiuwen wrote in the inscription for CHEN Yin’s pipa album in July 1990: “CHEN Yin’s repertoire is very extensive, ranging from classical to modern. His performance is very individual. He learns from the ancients but is never confined by them. He demonstrated excellent playing skills in performing King Chu Doffs His Armor. He can play very difficult pieces in a very easy manner, such as his adaptation of Sunshine on Taxkorgan.
