Centreville’s Jackie Lin Earns Top Spot in Senior Regional Orchestra

Name: Jackie Lin 

Age: 16 

School:  

Extracurricular Activities: American Youth Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Youth Fellowship Program, CVHS Philharmonic Orchestra, CVHS Symphony Orchestra, and . 

Accomplishment: Last Monday Centreville junior Jackie Lin came in first place out of 159 violinists during auditions for the Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO). Her top score has earned her the role of concertmaster at the SRO concert at in November. 

Key to Success: Jackie Lin comes from a family of musicians—her mother is a singer and piano teacher and her sister plays the viola—so it’s only natural that she began playing the violin when she was in kindergarten. Today, Lin is among the most talented young musicians in the Washington, D.C. area.  

At 16, Lin has already performed a solo at the Kennedy Center, taken a masterclass with Grammy Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham, and was ranked fifth in last year’s All-Virginia Orchestra as a sophomore. During the 2010-2011 academic year, Lin was also a finalist in both the Feuer Memorial String Competition and the NSO Young Soloists’ Competition, and was ranked fifth in the Senior Regional Orchestra. 

After last week’s audition against orchestra students from throughout Fairfax County, Jackie Lin is now ranked first in the Senior Regional Orchestra. This is an achievement that allows her to represent Centreville High School and the Northern Region of the Virginia Band & Orchestra Director’s Association (VBODA) as concertmaster during the SRO concert next month.  

“I feel really lucky,” Lin said. “I’m extremely excited about being concertmaster, a role in which I get to lead the orchestra and the violin section.” 

Jackie Lin’s passion for the violin and regimented practice schedule have brought her the musical success she enjoys today. She studies with National Symphony Orchestra member Ricardo Cyncynates in addition to practicing one to three hours a day on her own. At Centreville, Lin is a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra, and outside of school she participates in the American Youth Philharmonic and performs in a quartet in the NSO Youth Fellowship Program. Lin plans to continue playing the violin through college. 

As a leading member of the Senior Regional Orchestra, Jackie Lin will have the opportunity to audition for the All-Virginia Orchestra later this school year. Though she’s already the highest-ranked young violinist in the area, Lin is working hard to refine her skills. 

“As a musician, my main strength would be my technique, which is more developed than my musicality,” Lin said, adding that she’d like to improve on the latter before the All-Virginia auditions.