Supported and dressed by fashion house Giorgio Armani, and cradling an historic 1715 Joseph Joachim Stradivarius violin as he walks on to the stage, he can, as an apostle of classical music, rival any star from the pop music world.

Accompanying Chen on his Australia-wide tour, which began in Perth on November 6, is Timothy Young, who the violinist describes as "a brilliant pianist and a very nice guy on top of that".

Chen is fervent about promoting classical music and bringing it to audiences everywhere.

"I think that classical music needed to get with the times a little bit," he says. "The music that I play is strictly traditional classical music and, so far, I haven't attempted any crossover stuff. I'm not against that, it just depends how you do it," he says.

Chen cites cellist Yo-Yo Ma as an example of someone who does it well.

"He's just enjoying himself with his Goat Rodeo Sessions [blending classical and bluegrass music]. He's just saying that all music can be appreciated and should be enjoyed."

Chen has great respect for jazz musicians and their skill at improvisation but says that there's no room for a classical musician to alter the notes.

"All we can alter is the timing and the emotion," he says "and different interpretations are what make each player unique. Sometimes after hearing pieces like Mendelssohn's or Tchaikovsky's violin concertos you can say to yourself 'wow, I thought that I knew that piece but the performer brought out certain parts here and there that made it so fresh'.

"You always want an audience to learn about a piece and for it to become a friend to them; a lifelong friend that they can come back to again and again."

Chen began playing the violin when he was four years old. Although sometimes he had to be bribed by his parents, they never forced him to practise.

"We had a little tally system: how many hours equalled so much pocket money," he says.

He was invited to play solo with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of eight and was chosen as Australia's 4MBS's "Young Space Musician of the Year" in 1999.

He feels that winning the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in Brussels in 2009 was the achievement that launched his career.

"Coming from Australia, I hadn't had the head start in classical music of someone from Europe or the USA, and it often felt like playing catch-up. Entering competitions was the only way to get my foot through the door."

Chen says there are always new heights to reach.

Playing at the Nobel Prize awards in 2012 was "pretty special".

"And also my Carnegie Hall debut – awesome. And Sydney Opera House was pretty cool, too, playing in my own country in that iconic structure. The largest audience to date would have been at the Hollywood Bowl which has a capacity of 18,000," he says.

For his Australian tour, Chen wanted to combine different musical elements.

He compares planning the program with designing a delicious meal.

He describes the concert opener, Mozart's Violin Sonata No. 22 in A major, as a terrific opener that comes out with a strong statement.

"It opens the ears, opens up the sound and leaves you asking for more: the appetiser, light and refreshing. And then we have the Prokofiev [Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, originally written for flute]: a wonderful piece with marches and beautiful lyrical themes. It's the main course, a Russian dish, maybe beef stroganoff."

After the interval, he will present Bach's Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major.

"A solo – to change the sonority – very clear, like a sorbet. It's very intimate . And then we'll blast the audience away with the showpiece: three pieces by Pablo de Sarasate, culminating in an arrangement of Zigeunerweisen: three helpings of dessert to finish with."

Chen received the Joachim Stradivarius in June, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.

"I've got to know a few Stradivarius violins since I won the Queen Elisabeth and they're all different. What you want in a violin is depth of sound and power and brilliance and a lot of colour but you rarely find all four qualities," he says.

"But this instrument has everything. Joseph Joachim was a huge violinist back in his day (1831-1907). This is the instrument that Brahms, a friend of Joachim, wrote his violin concerto for; and Bruch's violin concerto was also written for it. It's quite intimidating to play such a great instrument if you think about the history that's associated with it."

Chen hopes to keep his feet on the ground and "to stay humble" and he wants to spread classical music through "outreach".

"Going to schools, holding classes, trying to inspire people to not necessarily take up an instrument but to love music. Musica Viva's philosophy agrees totally with mine."

After the tour, Chen and Young will travel to Mudgee to perform at the 2014 Huntington Estate Music Festival from November 26 to 30.

Chen and Young will share their knowledge, zeal and love of music through Musica Viva's Masterclasses program in Canberra and Sydney. Members of the public, as well as students from secondary and tertiary institutions, can attend these sessions. Visit musicaviva.com.au/whatson/masterclasses.

Ray Chen and Timothy Young. Musica Viva. Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music, Thursday, November 13 at 7pm. Bookings: 1800 688 482 or musicaviva.com.au/2014