Chia-Ying Lin’s piece entitled Ascolsia has been named the winner of the Seattle Symphony’s 2018–2019 Celebrate Asia Composition Competition and will be performed on January 27th at the Benaroya Hall in Seattle. With the support from the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, Lin will be present at the concert to interact with musicians and audiences.
The Seattle Symphony’s Celebrate Asia Composition Competition invites submissions from emerging composers who find inspiration and influences in Asian culture, music and traditions. The inspiration of Lin’s winning piece Ascolsia came from the traditional music of Taiwan, and in particular, a style known as Beiguan. The piece is about six minutes long, and incorporates characteristics of Beiguan folk music, including virtuosic solos in the woodwinds and percussion reminiscent of traditional Beiguan instruments. It shows significant elements unique to Taiwanese music; also, it gives the atmosphere of festivity, since Beiguan music is popular among festivals.
Lin studied composition with Tsung-Hsien Yang during her undergraduate degree at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan and with Philip Grange during her graduate studies at the University of Manchester. In 2018, she graduated with highest distinction at Conservatorio S. Cecilia de Roma studying composition. Lin is rapidly establishing an international career. She was the 2018 winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize in the United Kingdom, as the first Taiwanese winner in the past 70 years. She also was the winner of the International Composition Competition Piero Farulli in Italy, and Love Song Composing Competition in the UK; received third-prize at the prestigious International Jean Sibelius Composition Competition in Finland, and second place at the International Composition Competition Michele Novaro in Italy.
Lin has appeared in British pianist William Howard’s solo album “Sixteen Contemporary Love Songs” with her piano solo recordings, published by Orchid Classics in London. This record is part of the Naxos Music Library’s online collection. Her orchestra work is also included in “The Sound of Formosa”, a collection of Music Composition Competition awardees in 2014, published by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra.
