Chia-Hsuan Lin will conduct Rochester Symphony's 104th season opener

John Molseed, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Oct. 8—ROCHESTER — Half of the pieces guest composer Chia-Hsuan Lin chose to open the 104th season of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra have roots in mythology.

However, Lin says she plans to curate a real, shared experience for concert goers.

"You can only share that moment once," Lin said. "The feeling that you have at that moment can only happen at that time."

Lin is the first of the four final candidates in line to be the next artistic leader of the Rochester Symphony. Each will curate and conduct a symphony performance this season.

The first piece of the concert she will conduct Oct. 14, 2023 will be "Carnival Overture" by Antonin Dvorak.

"It reminds me of the abundance of autumn, the harvest and how everyone comes together," Lin said. "You cannot miss that celebration feel — just within the first note."

The second piece, "Chasing the Sun" by Taiwanese composer Ke-Chia Chen, is based on a giant from Chinese mythology named Kuafu. The third piece is Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt" Suite Number One is based on the Norwegian play of the same name.

The final piece will be Brahms' Symphony Number 4 in E minor.

Lin said Brahms' interesting laying of notes in chords adds dimension to this composition.

"It's deep, it makes you wonder, it makes you ponder," Lin said. "It's just grand and deep."

Lin spoke by phone from Richmond, Virginia where she was preparing to lead a performance at a brewery there. She said she enjoys bringing music to spaces like that.

"I want to bring music back to people's daily lives," Lin said.

At some point in our lives, that was the norm, she added.

"We all grew up with music playing around us and creating it," Lin said. "Somehow in the process of growing up, we forget about it."

It still remains a crucial element in our lives, she added.

Lin is a classically trained percussionist. Two experiences led her toward conducting.

During a performance in which a movement had no percussion, Lin recalls being on stage surrounded by the sounds of her fellow musicians in her National Taiwan Normal University orchestra.

"The melody was so profound, I felt like I was hugged by this melody and the sound of the string section," she said. "I was sitting there — tearing up."

Later, Lin was recovering after being hit by a driver of a car. She wondered what she would do while her broken wrist healed.

She decided she wanted to create the experience for music listeners she experienced.

"It's fun to interact with that sound," she said. "I have the opportunity to shape it and to mold it."

She also gets to explore how that music is made, explore its layers and reassemble them for an audience.

It's a position Lin does not take for granted, she said. She can be at the podium and imagine a big sound.

"I give a gesture and here it is — a wall of sound just hits me in the face," she said. "It's the best job in the world to be able to share music."

When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.

Where: Presentation Hall, Mayo Civic Center, 36 Civic Center Drive SE.

How much: $8 — $37.