Linda Yim
Pianist
Dynamic young Hong Kong-based pianist Linda Yim performs actively as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. In addition to frequent solo and recital work, she is also a sensitive and masterful accompanist and ensemble musician. She has collaborated with many internationally renowned musicians including bass-baritone Hao Jiang Tian and clarinettist Julian Bliss. Linda has worked with a diverse range of orchestras and groups including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Zuni Icosahedron and the Hong Kong Bach Choir. She has given performances in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom. Other than the piano, she also plays the harpsichord and organ in orchestra performances.
As an active member of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Linda is a keen advocate of modern works. She is frequently invited to perform in modern music festivals around the globe, including Shanghai, Malaysia and Cambodia, in addition to regular appearances in Hong Kong. She often participates in local contemporary music festivals and events such as the annual RTHK Radio 4 New Generation concert, Musicarama, the New Vision Arts Festival and events presented by Hong Kong Composers’ Guild. Linda also gives world premiere performances for local and overseas composers on a regular basis. Other notable contemporary music engagements have included a collaboration with the Stroma New Music Ensemble of New Zealand.
In 2012, together with the American pianist Thomas Rosenkranz, Linda formed the international piano duo Tattoo in the aim of providing a platform for composers to create new works for this combination. The duo’s plans for 2014–15 include recitals in Hong Kong and a series of educational performances in mainland Chinese universities.
In addition to her work as a performer, Linda is a passionate proponent of music education, both classical and modern. She is currently teaching at Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Institute of Education, HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education and CUHK School of Continuing and Professional Studies (CUSCS). In 2011, Linda began offering introductory courses in modern music, with the desire to deepen others’ understanding of the genre and inspire new talents. In 2012, she taught a course on accompaniment in the Diploma programme in Collaborative Piano Studies at CUSCS.
Linda’s musical journey began at a young age. Taking up the piano at the age of eight, she later graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Royal College of Music, London and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she obtained her Master of Arts degree majoring in piano. During her studies, Linda’s achievements were recognised with numerous distinctions and a number of scholarships, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund in 1998 and 1999, and the Molly McAulay Memorial Scholarship in 2002. She has studied under renowned pianists including Shao Yuen Xin, Nancy Loo, Niel Immermann, Stephanie McCallum and the late Ukrainian master Irina Zaritskaya.