|
The Taiwanese-American conductor, Wilbur Lin, accredits his early musical influence to choral singing as a boy soprano at church and in school. He began his musical education at the age of 5. When he 6 his family moved to Taiwan. As a young man, he studied the piano and harpsichord. He went on to complete his undergraduate studies in piano at the prestigious National Taiwan Normal University in 2011, studying there with Apo Hsu; and finished his Master of Music degree in conducting at Royal Northern College of Music in 2013, studying there with Clark Rundell and Mark Heron. He is now a doctoral student in orchestral conducting at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, under the tutelage of Arthur Fagen and David Effron. He has also received conducting coaching and attended master-classes with, notably, Alexander Briger, Sir Mark Elder, Harold Farberman, Myer Fredman, Lawrence Golan, Paul McCreesh, Juanjo Mena, Riccardo Muti, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vasily Petrenko, Helmuth Rilling, Jac van Steen, Mark Stringer, and has assisted Louis Langrée, James Gaffigan, and John Morris Russell, among others.
Wilbur Lin is an active chamber musician as well as well as a regular solo performer. He is also enjoys choral accompaniment and playing in piano and cello duos among others. He started to conduct whilst at high school, and in 2008 founded his own orchestra, the Chamber Philharmonic Taipei. With a humble origin, formed mainly by conservatory students, the orchestra fully professionalized in 2013. Reflecting Lin’s expertise and musical passion, the Chamber Philharmonic Taipei is known for being an extremely responsive and performance-practice-conscious orchestra, which focuses its programming on both early and contemporary music. The orchestra brings together musicians from around the world to perform during the summer. Over the years, Chamber Philharmonic Taipei consisted of many members of major international orchestras, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Oper, Lübeck Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic, and Jacksonville Symphony orchestras. The orchestra is funded by both the Arts Council of Taipei and the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture and is one of the first to be focusing on early classical and Baroque repertoire in the greater Chinese-speaking region.
Wilbur Lin was also the accompanist and assistant conductor of Chorus Sound of Hope from 2008 to 2010. In 2011, he made his professional debut by conducting the ISCM ensemble in their annual new music event and assisting Fusao Kajima with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in their Sun Moon Lake Music Festival Series. Whilst undertaking his term of military service in 2011-2012, he was the resident conductor of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Army Band. He also assisted Andrew Manze with his residency at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013.
Known for his creative programming and inviting stage presence, Wilbur Lin’s career has taken him to orchestra halls and opera theaters across the USA, Europe, Latin America, and Taiwan. His conducting engagements have taken him to international stages including Taipei's National Concert Hall and Zhongshan Hall, Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall in London, Manchester's MediaCityUK studios, amongst others. He regularly works with Chamber Philharmonic Taipei, and, in recent years, has conducted Manchester Camerata, Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, Taiwan *Symphony Orchestra, Academy Orchestra of Taiwan Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra (IN), Missouri Symphony Orchestra, LaPorte Symphony Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil (El Salvador). Lin has also cover conducted the Taiwan Symphony, Minnesota, and Cincinnati Ballet orchestras. He regularly conducts and records contemporary music, which has included appearances in the National Recital Hall of C. K. S. Center and the Taipei Zhongshan Hall, two of the most prestigious venues in Taiwan. He has also conducted several local church choirs.
A graduate of Riccardo Muti's Italian Opera Academy, Wilburr Lin's operatic endeavors include conducting Verdi’s Macbeth at Teatro Alighieri (Ravenna, Italy), W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Winter Harbor Music Festival (Winter Harbor, Maine), and has coached and performed as a pianist with the Indianapolis Opera, IU Opera Theater, Reimagining Opera for Kids, and the Cincinnati Ballet. In summer, 2022, Lin will return to Winter Harbor Music Festival for a production of Barber of Seville and lead a new workshop production of Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards at the Cincinnati Opera.
Wilbur Lin's recent seasons' highlights include guest engagement with Ensemble ISCM-Taiwan, and directing Chamber Philharmonic Taipei's: Bach Series. He held the position of Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Talent Fellow (2019-2021), Weiwuyin Opera (Taiwan) Conducting Fellow (2019-2020), Lord Rhodes Scholar (2013-2014), was a two-time recipient (2013 and 2014) of Mortimer Furber Prize for Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). He was among the finalists of assistant conductor auditions at Guiyang Symphony Orchestra (China) and Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra and has also made it to the semi-final round of Cadaques International Conducting Competition in 2013.
Recently appointed Music Director Designate of the Missouri Symphony (MOSY), Wilbur's Lin's 2022-2023 season includes a number of engagements with the MOSY, debuts with the Oak Ridge and Ann Arbor symphonies, and a return to Indiana’s Richmond Symphony. His other recent highlights include his debut with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, opening its 2021-2022 season, and guest appearances with the Indianapolis Chamber, LaPorte Symphony, and Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Academy orchestras. Recently finished his tenure as assistant conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (2019-2022), in addition to his position with the MOSY, he also assumes the assistant professorship as conductor of the Northern Illinois University Philharmonic and Opera Theatre in Fall, 2022. |
