Amy Lin, Concert Pianist

Amy Lin

biography

Pianist Amy Lin was born in Taiwan, where she began studying the piano with great passion at the age of five. As a youngster she was very interested in both mathematics and music, and after her family emigrated to the United States when she was a teenager, she received a merit scholarship in mathematics to attend the Johns Hopkins University. There she met the renowned pianist Leon Fleisher, and attended his weekly masterclasses for three years before graduating with her bachelors degree in math. At this turning point of her life, she decided to enter the Peabody Conservatory, and spent the next ten years working intensively with Mr. Fleisher, receiving her Master's Degree as well as the prestigious Artist Diploma. In order to futher her understanding of the great German traditions, Ms. Lin spent two years in Munich, where she worked with Gerhard Oppitz at the Hochschule für Musik and was awarded the Meisterklassendiplom. Other precious musical mentors in her life have included Leonard Shure, Fou T'song, Krystian Zimerman and Nelson Freire.

Amy Lin made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in 1981 as winner of the Young Soloists Competition, and has since appeared in recital and as soloist with orchestra in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Latvia, Brazil, New Caledonia, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as in the United States. In 1996 she spent a five-month residency in Brazil as recipient of a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, during which time she was a Visiting Professor, giving master classes and performing extensively throughout the country.

Ms. Lin's repertoire is wide-ranging and diverse. She excels particularly in the music of the great Viennese tradition of Schubert, Beethoven, and Mozart. Recently she has become interested in the music of contemporary Chinese composers, many of whom have entrusted her with the performance of new works. She is known for her sensitive and captivating performances, and for her finesse and grace.

One of the most sought after teachers of her generation, Amy Lin enjoys sharing her passion for music with students who come to study with her from around the world. She is a professor at the Conservatory of Strasbourg in France and teaches at the International European Masterclasses in Nancy, France in the summer. In recent years her students have presented the complete works of Schoenberg, cycles of the complete Well-Tempered Clavier of Bach, Preludes and Etudes of Debussy, Chopin Etudes and Waltzes, and the Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus of Olivier Messiaen. She is regularly invited to give master classes at major conservatories and universities, and many of her students have won international competitions and gone on to lead active musical lives of their own. Amy Lin teaches in English, French and Mandarin Chinese.