Lin Tao, a young and talented Chinese conductor, will take up the baton to conduct the Film Opera Konct (FOK) Prague Symphony Orchestra during the opening concert of the festival.

The cooperation of Chinese and international musicians embodies the theme of "Meet in Beijing."

The organizers expect that Lin Tao will give one of his usual superb performances.

Lin, 31, was born into a musical family in Beijing.

His mother is a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music and his father is an editor of "People's Music," a journal of the Chinese Musician's Association.

He was forced to learn to play the piano by his parents from the age of five, and did not show much interest in music in his childhood.

Instead, he excelled in his academic studies in science in middle school.

At the age of 15, Lin was admitted by both a key high school with full marks in math, physics and chemistry, and the Secondary School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music.

"The attached secondary school planned to enroll six new students that year, and I actually ranked seventh in the examinations," Lin recalled.

"Maybe the professor for enrolling students thought a scientific-minded student would also have an aptitude for music. So I became a lucky dog," he joked.

In 1988, good luck befell Lin again. He became the only person to win a government scholarship to study at the Moscow Conservatory.

Then he had to choose whether to major in composition or conducting.

"My original idea was to be a conductor, for it is the soul of the orchestra and is always in the limelight," Lin said.

"But I also know that learning composition would improve my musical ideas, which is very important to a good conductor. So finally I chose to learn composition then conducting."

Believing that success does not come from luck alone, Lin worked hard in the conservatory.

Under the guidance of his teacher Albert Leman in composition and Dimtri Kitaenlo in conducting, he improved his skills with each passing day.

In his spare time, Lin immersed himself in the artistic world. He went to concerts, operas, galleries and cinemas to cultivate his artistic taste.

In 1994 and the following year, he received a master's degrees in both his majors. Two years later, he was awarded a doctorate degree from the Moscow Conservatory.

As the youngest entrant, Lin received the Third Prize in the First International Prokofiev Competition for Conductors in 1993.

"I still remember that the person who presented the prize to me said it was a ticket for me to enter the professional musical world," Lin said.

Since then, Lin has won a series of prizes in various competitions. In 1999, he won a prize at the Sixth Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors and also was awarded as the Best Interpreter of Polish Music.

Conducting many well-known Russian symphony orchestras in recent years, Lin has gained a fast-growing reputation in Russia.

Since August 1998, Lin has been invited to give annual master classes in Murcia in Spain, where he also has conducted the Youth Orchestra. In March 1999, Lin made his debut with the Central Philharmonic Society of China in Beijing.

Last Friday, Lin conducted Mozart's Piano sonatas to classical fans in Beijing with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park.

Although it was the first time Lin has conducted the FOK, he gave high praise to the orchestra. "There is no such thing as a bad orchestra, only a bad conductor."

He said a great conductor could add new dimensions to musical performances and make the audience aware of how much he could enhance and vary a performance.

"As is well-known, Russian orchestras have a good command of stringed instruments, while the Germany and Austrian orchestras are adept at the wind instruments. But FOK combines both strong points of the east and west European orchestras well," Lin said before the performance.

When asked whether his authority would be undermined because of his young age, he said, although there are many old prestigious conductors, it does not mean a good conductor should be old.

He has shown great confidence in his work with the FOK, saying, "It would have been clear I had won the orchestra's trust within 10 minutes."

For their next performance, the FOK and Lin will perform music composed by musicians from the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.

(China Daily 03/29/2001)