A native of Champaign, Illinois, Lin made her violin debut at the age of eleven, performing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Chicago Symphony. Since then, she has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions, including the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.  Described as a “passionate and graceful” soloist whose playing has “virtuosity and insight” as well as “a genuine fresh quality not often heard,” she has soloed with orchestras around the world and given solo recitals through the U.S.  

She has also served as Concertmaster of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (1991-92) and the London Symphony Orchestra (1994-96), and is currently a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where she has served as Assistant Concertmaster (1988-91 and 1996-98).  

A frequent collaborator in chamber music, Lin is a member of the Grammy-winning Muir String Quartet, quartet-in-residence at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, as well as a member of Trio Amici. 

Occasionally branching out of the classical genre, Lin has collaborated with guest artists at the Regattabar and been featured with Snappy Dance Theater in a series of performances where she “proved to be as fearless and fine a dancer as musician.”  

The November 20 program also features music director Steven Lipsitt’s special arrangement of Stravinsky's charming "Pastorale” and Haydn's irrepressible "London" Symphony.  Come early! At 2 p.m., Mary Ann Nichols will give a brief introduction to the afternoon’s music. Nichols, the local and national underwriting voice of 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, has shared her insights about classical music with audiences at Faneuil Hall for 20 years.