Lin Ma

Lin Ma, Pipa artist, Pipa educator, and Associate professor at Sun Yat-sen University. Ms. Ma is the director of the Pipa Society of the Chinese Musicians Association, Executive Director of the Guangdong Folk Orchestral Society, and Deputy Director of the Guangdong Pipa Committee. She is the first Chinese folk instrumentalist invited to perform at the Capital Hill in Washington D.C. and hold a pipa recital at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. She is among the top ten pipa masters accredited by China Central Television and is frequently featured in China Central Television's flagship music program, Elegant Chinese Music. She has performed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Spain, Austria, Italy, Germany, among others, and has been lauded by audiences worldwide. The music video of The Misty Rain of Jiangnan, one of her hit recordings, has been viewed over 10 million times across music streaming platforms, such as Youtube, Tencent Video, Sohu Video, and Youku. She has also served as a judge for CCTV Chinese Instrumental Television Competition, the Chinese American Network "Born to be a Talent" Instrumental Competition, China-Korea International Music Competition, Hong Kong International Music Festival, National University Art Exhibition, Guangdong Chinese Folk Instrumental Competition, etc.

As an active music envoy that bridges cultures, she has collaborated with the United Nations Peace Concert and the Renwen Society of China Institute in New York City to promote Chinese music and culture. Ms. Ma has published many albums, such as "Spring and Autumn," "Xin Qin Man Tan," and "On & Between." The album "On & Between" was shortlisted in the "World Music" and "Crossover Music" sections of the 2019 Grammy Awards. She has also won many international and domestic awards, including the CCA China Musical Instrument Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the "Flying World Cup International Competition of Chinese Folk Instrumental Music," the Silver Medal of the Chinese Government's highest award, the "Mandarin Arts School Award," and the Bronze Medal of the "Chinese Music Golden Bell Award Pipa Competition."

Ms. Ma received a bachelor's and master's degree in pipa performance under Guanghua Li from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She also earned a second master's in arts and cultural management from Pratt Institute in New York. Now, She is a doctoral student in music education at Columbia University.