Four years before schedule, the Olympic Fire has already been ignited in the 2012 host city of the Summer Olympics, as composer Chen Yi's orchestral piece by the same name was performed at the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall in London on August 8th. Coinciding with the opening of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the world premiere of this BBC commissioned composition brought the spirit of the Olympics to London, as its rousing notes drove home the passion and ferocity surrounding this international event.

Olympic Fire, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, marks the second appearance of Chen at the BBC Proms. Her first outing included the performance of her Percussion Concerto by world-renowned percussion soloist Evelyn Glennie and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2003.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese folk music in Fire, Chen hints at the remarkable life that she has led, from her growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China to her moving to the United States to study and teach music and composition.

As the daughter of two doctors, Chen grew up listening and learning the grand masters of western classical music. She began studying the piano and violin at the ripe old ages of 3 and 4 respectively. Her musical talent was recognized from an early age, as she was chosen to represent her school through performing music.

However, like many "reeducated youth" of the Cultural Revolution era of the 1960s and 70s, Chen was sent off to work in the countryside, having to leave behind her education and family. Forced to do manual labour, which included carrying rocks from the bottom of a mountain to the top of it several times a day, Chen continued to pursue her love of music despite the dire circumstances she found herself in.

Smuggling her violin secretly to the labour camp, as western music was banned during the Cultural Revolution, she kept her fingers nimble by playing revolutionary tunes with hints of Paganini inserted between the lines of choral propaganda. It was during this time that she became close to the farmers she was working with. It was there that she began to appreciate traditional Chinese folk music that she had not been exposed to during her childhood and musical training.

Fate was on her side, as when the Cultural Revolution ended, Chen was able to continue her musical education despite the long gap between her secondary and university education.

"After the Cultural Revolution the universities resumed what was the open policy," Chen explained. This open policy made way for the reopening of educational institutions to all after many years of government interference.

A national public examination was held that resulted in 10,000 applicants for the Central Conservatory of Music, Chen was one of only 31 students admitted to the composition course at the Conservatory.

These 31 individuals have gone on to become trailblazers in the post-Cultural Revolution classical music world in China as they are not simply Chen's peers, but her former classmates. From Tan Dun, who won an Oscar for composing the score of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Chen Qigang, the Music Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, this remarkable class has dominated the Chinese contemporary classical scene ever since their graduation from the Central Conservatory.

Chen's perseverance and dedication to her music led her to become the first woman in China to earn a Master's degree in composition. After her studies at the conservatory, Chen decided to pursue a doctorate at Columbia University, leading her to make the move from China to the United States where she has been based ever since.

Before the performance of Fire, she spoke of the influence the people and places in her life have had on her work and music. Her time in New York inspired her to infuse the sounds of jazz and rap, which she heard on the streets, into her classical compositions. This willingness to allow the world around her to play an intricate and complementary role in enhancing her musical works highlights her trademark organic approach to composing music.

Be it using American jazz for inspiration to transforming an orchestra into collectively producing the sounds of a lusheng, a traditional Chinese pipe instrument, Chen has never been afraid to test the boundaries of classical music to show the new heights it can reach.

As this is her second time at the RAH, Chen could not help but express the fondness that she has for the BBC Proms and London, although her busy schedule has not permitted her from visiting the city for more than several days at a time.

"I feel very close...it seems like I know the city and I know the program [BBC Proms]," Chen stated. She also praised the RPO as being very strong with a style all of its own, resulting in a musical force that would inevitably give her Fire that something extra to make it both dynamic and memorable.

Chen stated she hoped that her work would "carry on the Olympic spirit" as it "takes on many Chinese elements to introduce culture as well".

During the twenty-ninth BBC Proms of the 2008 season, Chen work began the program with as much confidence and conviction that she had spoken with in describing her piece, Olympic Fire.

Like a flame, the work moved from moments of true brilliance to subtle glowing passages that captivate one's attention from beginning to end. Chen's Fire is built on layers resembling the lusheng ensemble, which she wished the orchestra to resemble, with the brass, horns, woodwinds igniting the blaze and the strings jumping about on top as sparks, with the percussion serving as the embers, which keep the composition alive.

At the end of the piece, Chen bounded on stage with as energy and life as the Olympic Fire, which she had titled her composition. In watching Chen take her well deserved bows with eminent conductor Leonard Slatkin, she fully embodied the essence of a victor. Chen and her story demonstrates that a true champion does not have to be the fastest or the strongest, but is an individual that does not give up in the face of adversity and most importantly, never stops believing in the beauty of her dreams.