Born in Nanjing, Qin started learning the piano at the age of five, and attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music from 1988 to 1994.
[1] Qin Chuan is known for his performance of Olivier Messiaen's music.
Having heard Qin perform Réveil des oiseaux with Myung-Whun Chung from memory, Messiaen's widow, Yvonne Loriod, selected him as the winner of the Messiaen Prize in Paris.
Qin's repertoire ranges from the early Baroque to the avant-garde.
Qin Chuan has won several international piano competitions, including: