Led by Darren Lin — Levine percussion faculty member and conductor of a premier military ensemble in Washington, DC — WMPI Artists will participate in an in-person conducting workshop focused on developing conducting technique and ensemble communication. Through hands-on playing and conducting activities, the session will develop practical skills in non-verbal and verbal communication, and musicianship skills that directly translate to more effective rehearsals and performances.

Darren Lin is a conductor, percussionist, and educator based in Arlington, VA. He brings passionate and nuanced performances to the stage as well as a fierce commitment to diversifying the standard repertoire and making the arts more inclusive and accessible for all. He has been recognized for his inventive and adventurous programming, performing a wide range of works by composers from Steve Reich and Augusta Read Thomas to Joseph Bologne and John Philip Sousa.

As a percussionist, Darren has appeared onstage with the National Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and New Haven Symphony. He has performed under the batons of conductors like Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andris Nelsons, Thomas Wilkins, JoAnn Falletta, and Jun Märkl. Equally dedicated to championing contemporary music, Lin has commissioned and premiered works by innovative composers like Molly Joyce, Randy Woolf, Chris Vu, and Joseph Pereira. He has also worked closely with Pulitzer-Prize winning composers Steve Reich and John Luther Adams.

A passionate advocate for music education, Darren has taught at the undergraduate, high school, middle school, and elementary levels. As a guest artist, he has given clinics at high schools and middle schools in over 30 different states and has led percussion masterclasses at Penn State, SUNY Buffalo State, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Washington. He also is active as a guest conductor and clinician for bands and orchestras across the nation.

Lin is a proud alumnus of the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and holds additional degrees and study from the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory. He is currently a doctoral conducting student at the University of Maryland - College Park where he studies with David Neely. Additional conducting mentors include Christopher James Lees, Michael Haithcock, and Rodney Dorsey.