Composer

Biography

Composer and pianist Chen (Tony) Lin was born in Longyan in the Fujian Province of China in 1988 and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of 6. Without a musical background, he began learning music with keyboard lessons at a late age of 12, advancing to piano with Rosemary Miller Stott a year later. In 2002, age 14, Tony passed ABRSM Grade 8 with distinction and LTCL (piano) with high distinction in 2005.

Tony is currently in his fourth year of a Bachelor of Music (Hons) at the University of Canterbury, studying a double major in piano performance with Gao Ping (previously with Peter Nagy and Judith Clark) and composition with Gao Ping, Elaine Dobson and Chris Cree Brown.

Having preserved a strong interest in composition ever since his first exposure to music, Tony’s earlier successes were first prizes in the composition section of the Christchurch Music Competitions. He has had works performed by the Burnside High School Orchestra and the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, and others recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Last year, Tony gave a performance of one of his own works at the Semaine Internationale de Piano et de musique de chamber in Switzerland to great acclaim. A recipient of the Lilburn Trust Student Composition Award in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Tony’s orchestral piece Requiem for a Bird was awarded top prize at the 2007 NZSO/Todd Young Composer Awards. Recent highlights include performances of his piece Zaige Zaiwu by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra as part of their outreach concerts.

Tony was the winner of the 40th New Zealand National Concerto Competition in 2007, and 2nd prize winner including “Best Classical Sonata Performance Award” at the 2008 Kerikeri National Piano Competition, where he included one of his own piano works in the final round. He is a recipient of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, Christchurch IRMT “Young Musician of the Year”, Ruby Hay Pianoforte Scholarship and the Leslie Atkinson Memorial Prize in Music.

Tony is looking forward to future compositional collaborations with Anna McGregor, Buz Bryant-Greene, John Chen, and CSO musicians. Tony wishes to further his studies overseas and maintain both composition and piano with equal dedication.