Ying Chen was born into a family of elite Chinese musicians, and studied flute performance at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s preparatory school for six years. In 1988 she relocated to the United States to study under Murray Panitz, principal flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, while attending the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University on scholarship. She has previously toured with Shen Yun Performing Arts as a flutist and been a part of its artistic staff, in which capacity she composed two pieces for the company. In 2008 she was appointed a conductor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra.