Following a comprehensive international search and audition process, the Colorado Symphony and Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO) are proud to announce that Wilbur Lin will join the artistic staffs for both organizations for the 2023/24 season. Lin will serve as Assistant Conductor for the Colorado Symphony, leading many of the orchestra’s Family-Friendly and Youth Concert programs while also serving as Music Director for DYAO. The appointment strengthens the strategic alliance between the Colorado Symphony and DYAO which began in 2018, furthering the Colorado Symphony Association’s dedication to music education in the community while providing resources and access for DYAO musicians to the professional musicians of the Colorado Symphony.
Known for his creative programming and inviting stage presence, Wilbur Lin’s career has taken him to symphony halls and opera theaters across the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Taiwan. Lin was also recently appointed Music Director of the Missouri Symphony.
“During my audition, I discovered an orchestra with such flexibility and character that immediately allowed me to effortlessly establish a connection with the musicians,” said Lin. “I look forward to the many artistic possibilities we can create together as I support the mission of the Colorado Symphony and I am particularly excited about working with the talented musicians of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.”
Lin’s 2022/23 season saw his debuts with Oak Ridge, Ann Arbor, and Elgin symphonies and the Rochester Philharmonic, and a return to Indiana’s Richmond Symphony. His other recent highlights include his debut with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, opening its 2021/22 season, a new studio recording with pianist Eric Zuber and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and conducting and covering the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops where he recently finished his tenure as assistant conductor (2019-2022).
“All of us at the Colorado Symphony are delighted to welcome Wilbur Lin as our new assistant conductor,” said Anthony Pierce, Chief Artistic Officer for the Colorado Symphony. “Wilbur impressed us with his skills on and off the podium during his audition, and we look forward to the contributions he’ll make to both our orchestra and DYAO.”
In addition to his positions with the Colorado, Cincinnati, and Missouri symphonies, in recent years, Lin has conducted the Chamber Philharmonic Taipei, Manchester Camerata, Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil (El Salvador), Taipei Philharmonic, Taipei Symphony, Liverpool Mozart, Academy Orchestra of Taiwan Symphony, Richmond Symphony (IN), and LaPorte Symphony orchestras. As a cover conductor, Lin has worked with, notably, the Taiwan Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet, and Minnesota orchestras.
A graduate of Riccardo Muti's Italian Opera Academy, Lin’s operatic endeavors include conducting Verdi’s Macbeth at Teatro Alighieri (Ravenna, Italy), Die Zauberflöte and Barber of Seville with the Winter Harbor Music Festival (Winter Harbor, Maine), Menotti’s The Medium and Amelia Goes to the Ball as the conductor of Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, IL), and has coached and performed as a pianist with the Indianapolis Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, Reimagining Opera for Kids, and the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2022, Lin led a new workshop production of Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards at the Cincinnati Opera.
DYAO continues to transform young musicians by giving them the inspiration, support, and skills to be tomorrow’s great musicians. This is accomplished through peer monitoring within and between ensembles, yearly concerto and composition competition, and educational assistance through regular coaching sessions with professional musicians including members of the Colorado Symphony.
The connections between the two organizations has been enhanced over the years through annual side-by-side concerts. In addition, DYAO alumni can be found throughout the Colorado Symphony including current CSA musicians Larisa Fesmire, Marsha Holmes, Paul Naslund, and John Hilton.
“DYAO is thrilled to have found in Lin an energetic vision for community engagement, music education, and audience development,” said Kelly Waltrip, Executive Director for DYAO. “This joint position reflects the two organization’s shared mission to build and reimagine the future of live symphonic music and continue their commitments to music education.”
Lin 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 of Mortimer Furber Prize for Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), and holds a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Lin has studied with Arthur Fagen and David Effron at Jacobs, Clark Rundell and Mark Heron at the RNCM, and Apo Hsu at the National Taiwan Normal University. He has also received conducting coaching with, notably, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Riccardo Muti, Sir Mark Elder, Helmuth Rilling, and has assisted Louis Langrée, James Gaffigan, and John Morris Russell, among others.
Lin’s 2023/24 Season podium appearances include the Halloween Spooktacular and Youth Concerts throughout the season. For the most current concert information, please visit: https://coloradosymphony.org/view-all-events/.
