Steve Lin - Classical Guitarist

Two weeks or so ago I sat through the history and theory qualifying exams for my DMA. Taking the history part was like forcing a vegetarian to eat a triple bacon cheese burger. Taking the theory exam afterwards was like forcing that same vegetarian to eat the leftovers. Well, today I found out I passed both portions and I couldn’t be happier. Sure, I’m getting closer to finishing my degree, but more importantly, I may be able to finally pursue a post-DMA life, one filled with greener pastures and ice cream trucks.

My mom reminded me of the Chinese character for “busy” today. On the left side we have the character for “heart”. On the right, the character for “death”. As I continue to engage myself in work to keep my mind off recent sadness, this definition of “busy”, which seems as old as our language, is somehow very fitting. It almost gave me chills.

Prior to this month, my only experience with the Ocean State was Providence, but thanks to John Dennewitz, a great friend and guitarist, we played a concert at the Kingston Congregational Church yesterday afternoon to a wonderfully receptive and enthusiastic audience. Not only that, two weeks prior to the concert, John also set up a radio interview for the two of us at University of Rhode Island Radio Station with host of the classical program, Bob Kinzel. During the interview I was also able to perform 2 pieces live and an encore.

The interview is available for streaming:

http://www.linguitar.com/music.

In August 2005 I returned to Boston after spending two years doing my masters at Yale. I was glad to be back in Boston and so much has happened since.

October 1 marks the 2 year anniversary of Boston Guitar Project. Oct 1, 2005: we did our first concert in the South End at St. Stephen’s Episcopal, a benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims. Those were humble beginnings, and I can’t believe how far things have come.

I entered the DMA program at NEC, thinking that it would be nice to have a teaching credential. But the program’s faults began revealing themselves one after another. Then my career took a turn I never expected: winning the 2006 Boston GuitarFest Competition gave me an opportunity to record a CD. Who knew, that CD would give my life a completely different purpose, one that differed greatly from the DMA.

I was gradually overcome by a desire to earn a living as a musician. I was driven be a desire to play, to promote, to connect, to get out there. Meanwhile, the DMA program still enforced its own agenda and the struggle to balance the two was arduous. Now, nearing the end of the DMA program, with more gigs falling in place, and with my second CD coming out soon, I eagerly look forward to the next phase of my life.

Working on Boston GuitarFest 2006 & 2007 also occupied a large portion of my last two years. Learning, seeing, and absorbing everything that I did about music behind the scenes taught me some of the most valuable lessons about being a musician in today’s world. It also opened up a completely new horizon.

The last two years have been filled with endless work. I was constantly driven by my own discipline, responsibility to others, a desire to excel, my own common sense, a need to get things right… Along the way, there were some crisis that choked my progress: some involved emotions, others involved fall-outs between friends, one even involved a lawyer. I’m going through another low-point right now, and perhaps that’s why I’ve been reflecting on my life and work these past few days.

I’d like to think that there were many bright things that filled the spaces between work: much laughter, speaking nonsense, joking over beers, sharing a glass of wine, falling in love, having picnics… And indeed there were.

But as I stand in today’s shoes, I still come to the same conclusion: I’m damn lucky to be a musician, and even luckier to be a guitarist. And in light of that, I’ll have to say with the utmost gratitude that the last two years have been quite the privilege.