The music of Chen Zhangyi has been described as “a breath of fresh air on our musical landscape” (Straits Times), and “music from a voice of the future” (BBC Radio 3). He has collaborated with ensembles such as London Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Singapore National Youth Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir, Singapore Lyric Opera, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Ripieno (PH), L’arietta and re:mix.

In his instrumental music, nature is often a source of inspiration. For instance, in orchestral works like Rain Tree, Vanda (violin concerto), and Of An Ethereal Symphony that was commissioned by SSO for their Europe tour in 2016. On the other hand, his dramatic works seek to explore the musical representation of Singaporean culture. Laksa Cantata, Window Shopping, and Kopi For One form a chamber opera cycle (A Singapore Trilogy) that is inspired by local obsessions. The L’arietta production of A Singapore Trilogy was named one of the best classical events of 2018 by the Straits Times.

Creatively researching musical syncreticism within a East-Asian cultural context, the (Triple) Concerto for Erhu, Ruan, Percussion and Ensemble《三人行》was composed for the 2019 YST Conservatory Orchestra tour to Seoul, South Korea, led by principal conductor Jason Lai. The featured soloists/collaborators were Likie Low (erhu), Sulwyn Lok (zhongruan), and Yuru Lee (paigu and marimba). He has presented on this work at the International Conference on Musical Intersections, at Churchill College, Cambridge University.