Steven Lin
Taiwanese American pianist Steven Lin is an immediately engaging and imaginative young artist, applauded by the New York Times for playing that is “…immaculately voiced and enhanced by admirable subtleties of shading and dynamics,” and his growing list of awards features the Concert Artists Guild Competition and the John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. His dynamic playing at the 2014 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition was recognized when he was awarded the Silver Medal as well as numerous performance prize engagements in Israel and worldwide.
Steven Lin began the 2016-17 concert season with summer engagements including the Bravo! Vail Valley Festival, the WQXR Beethoven Sonata Marathon, and a tour of Korea with the DITTO Chamber Ensemble. Featured performances this season include a recital at The Smithsonian Museum of American Art in DC, and concerto appearances with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, DuPage Symphony (IL) and California’s Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay and Tulare County Symphony, as well as the Evergreen Symphony of Taiwan. Recent concerto highlights include the Kansas City and Fort Worth Symphony orchestras, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and his debut in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium with the New York Youth Symphony.
Internationally, Mr. Lin performed in Asia frequently during 2015-16, including a solo recital tour of Taiwan, and four recitals in China, including Shanghai, as well as a tour of Korea and China with the DITTO Ensemble. Other recent performances abroad include: National Taiwan Symphony; Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (Taipei); Taipei Symphony Orchestra; the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra; the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva; and the Costa Rica National Symphony, as well as a recital at the Finca World Piano Festival in the Canary Islands, and a recital tour of Japan.
Steven Lin’s artistry was clear from an early age when he was accepted by The Juilliard School on a full scholarship to study with Yoheved Kaplinsky at the age of ten, which in turn led to his debut with the New York Philharmonic in Avery Fisher Hall when he was only 13. Additional concerto highlights include the New Jersey Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic and Sendai Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared on radio broadcasts including NPR’s From The Top and WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase, and he is featured prominently in the Cliburn Competition documentary film, Virtuosity, which premiered on PBS in 2015.
The pianist’s broad musical interests allow him to move with ease between concertos, recitals and chamber music, enjoying appearances world-wide at important venues including the Louvre and Salle Cortot in France, National Dublin Hall in Ireland, Seoul Arts Center in Korea, Sendai Cultural Center in Japan, and Avery Fisher Hall in the United States. Recent recital debuts include: both Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; The Kennedy Center; The Gilmore Rising Stars series; the Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills, and the National Chopin Foundation. Recent summer festivals include the Aspen Chamber Music Workshop, under the mentorship of David Finckel and Wu Han, and the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, curated by violinist Cho-Liang Lin.
In addition to his victory at the Concert Artists Guild competition, 2012 was a big year for Mr. Lin, when he was a prizewinner at the William Kapell International Competition, The Juilliard School’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition and he was awarded an unprecedented three honors at the 2012 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, cited for his excellence in baroque and contemporary music as well as his overall musical artistry.
Steven Lin recently completed the prestigious Performance Diploma program at the Curtis Institute of Music, under the guidance of Robert McDonald, and before that, he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at The Juilliard School, studying with Mr. McDonald and Matti Raekallio. When not making music, Steven describes himself as an ‘NBA basketball fanatic,’ a source of great pride and commitment which began when he was eight years old. Despite living most of his life on the east coast, he is a passionate L.A. Lakers fan.