Lin Yu-ting (musician)

Lin Yu-ting (Chinese: 林昱廷born 1951-) is an erhu player, composer and conductor from Taipei, Taiwan. He began studying erhu at the age of 12 and has taught at the National Taiwan University of Arts for many years. Lin's areas of expertise include composing, conducting, performance, teaching, researching, and arts administration. He served as the Director of the National Chinese Orchestra and the Chairman of the Chinese Music Association, Taiwan, R.O.C.
==Life==
Lin Yu-ting studied erhu at 12 and started learning choir conducting with Pastor David S.J. Kou at the age of 14. In 1963, he attended Chengyuan High School in Taipei and became the founding president of the school's Chinese Orchestra Club the following year. The school club's instructors, Lai Chin-nan and Chang Wu-nan, taught him the basics of playing erhu, dizi, and pipa. From 1965, he received guidance from Lin Yue-li and continued to improve his skills. Lin later joined the CYC (China Youth Corps) Chinese Orchestra in his extra-curriculum, deepening his understanding of Chinese music. In 1967, during his senior high school years, Lin served as the president of Chengyuan High School's Chinese Orchestra Club and led the members to win first place in the senior high school division of a national Chinese orchestra ensemble competition. He joined the ZhongHua Chinese Orchestra by chance and became one of its founding members, and he also received guidance from Tung Yung-shen.
In 1971, Lin Yu-ting began teaching at the elite music class of Guangren Catholic Elementary School and in 1976 began teaching at the Chinese Music Department of National Taiwan Academy of Arts, becoming a full-time faculty member the following year. During the early days of the academy's Chinese Music Department, Lin participated in creating teaching materials, establishing new systems, composing, performing, and other work. He also visited local societies to collect songs and translate music scores, as well as arranged and composed music for teaching and performance purposes. He explored early Taiwanese Singing and Telling Arts (Quyi), Chinese opera, and traditional instrumental music. At the age of 34, he became the Chair of the Chinese Music Department at National Taiwan Academy of Arts and established the Experimental Chinese Orchestra (now National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan) during his tenure. Lin also promoted composition-commissioning, exchange programs and established an appraisal system for Chinese Music selection. In 2005, he became the director of the Experimental Chinese Orchestra and founded the Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra in 2017.His research projects include hardware and acoustics of erhu, with a focus on teaching and performing Chinese music. Lin's musical style is characterized by precision, clarity, gradation, full of enthusiastic passion while maintaining rational thinking.
==Works==
Lin Yu-ting has been dedicated to the composition and performance of Chinese music for a long time, with his creative peak concentrated in the 1980s and 1990s. His works include ensembles, concerti, film scores, television and broadcasting scores, chamber music, dance music, nursery rhymes, etc. Some of his signature works are as follows:
* 1981 Ensemble, Celebration (喜慶)
* 1984 Yangqin Concerto, Greatness of China (偉哉中華)
* 1985 Double Suona Concerto, Prosperity and Peace Brought by Double Dragons (雙龍呈祥獻太平)
* 1986 Yangqin and Orchestra, Joyful World (歡樂滿人間)
* 1986 Dance Music, Spring Fever (嬉春)
* 1986 Pipa Concerto, Autumn Night (秋夕)
* 1989-1990 Score for the geographical and cultural television documentary series, The Journey of Poetic China
* 1991 Ensemble, Joyful Chinese New Year (歡樂中國節)
* 1996 Ensemble, The Rainbow Sleeves (彩絮飛揚)
Category:National Taiwan University of Arts alumni
Category:1951 births
Category:Composers
Category:Erhu players
Category:Taiwanese people