Sophomore Joanne Lin has always been a team player. From performing in local chamber groups to leading a full orchestra section, Joanne has been a crucial member of every ensemble she’s played with.
But this month, things are changing. For the first time, Joanne will step out of the orchestra into the spotlight, making her soloist debut on Saturday, March 16. Joanne will be performing the first movement of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, accompanied by Golden State Youth Orchestra’s (GSYO) Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra (CKO).
“As much as I’ll be nervous, it’s also exciting,” Joanne said. “This will be my first time performing with an orchestra, and it’ll be my largest audience ever.”
Since Joanne picked up the violin in first grade, she’s performed at various recitals and competitions, including the 2021 American Protégé competition. There, she won third place and performed in a winners’ recital at Carnegie Hall. Joanne earned this soloist opportunity when she won GSYO’s 2023 Concerto Competition. Experiences like this have taught Joanne to aim for beyond perfection when practicing.
“My teacher says, when you perform, you usually lose about 20 percent of your quality, which is why I always practice to 120 percent,” Joanne said. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to win the Concerto Competition at all, so there wasn’t too much pressure in the first place. I just went for it.”
During Joanne’s performance for the concerto competition, the judging panel took great notice of her musicality. Among the judges was GSYO Music Director Yun Song Tay, who will conduct Joanne’s upcoming solo.
“Joanne has a very natural way of playing — she’s technically sound and very musical,” Tay said. “Everything she did during the concerto competition made sense. She has a great sound and it projects very well. She deserves this chance to perform with CKO.”
Besides competitions, Joanne’s musical endeavors include performing with GSYO’s highest-level orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra, which Tay conducts. Over Joanne’s two years with the Symphony, Tay has watched her technique and leadership skills grow.
“There’s a lot of qualities Joanne possesses that really can’t be taught,” Tay said. “Learning to play a phrase well — you can’t really teach that, but she does it very naturally and convincingly. She’s also quite shy, so the fact that she led the second violins last year forced her to step out of her comfort zone. She’s demonstrative, she listens to the other section leaders and she comes in confidently; she really grew into her role.”
To her friends, Joanne’s reserved yet well-spoken personality stands out just as much as her musical skills. When asked to describe Joanne in three words, Symphony flutist and Palo Alto High School junior Sophia Dong said “shy, sweet and absolutely cracked.”
“Joanne’s shy, but that’s what makes her so adorable,” Sophia said. “Sweet, because she’s literally the most amazing person in the world. And absolutely cracked, because she is. It’s an amazing honor to be playing with her, and I just really love what she brings.”
For Joanne, her first experience of a solo concerto performance with a full orchestra will be one she hopes to remember. Despite practicing the piece since eighth grade, Joanne continues to fine-tune details.
“I’m familiar with the notes, and now it’s more about how it sounds,” Joanne said. “Bruch is one of my favorite pieces because it’s so energetic, and I’m just really focusing on musicality in general, like playing parts stronger, louder or sweeter.”
As the concert approaches, Tay looks forward to seeing Joanne push herself to new levels, both as a player and a leader.
“You have to be daring when you lead a section, and I always tell my players, ‘Do not get dragged in by the orchestra,’” Tay said. “This time, Joanne’s not just leading 20 musicians, but a whole orchestra. There’s a huge learning curve for any high school player to perform a concerto, so I’m really happy that she has the opportunity to perform such a piece.”
Joanne will perform at GSYO’s March Revelry Concert at Carlmont High School on March 16 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found at gsyomusic.org/events/march-revelry-24/.
