Xin Ding

A native of China, violinist Xin Ding joined the Boston Symphony in January 1999, having already had an accomplished music career. She served as concertmaster for both the China Youth Symphony Orchestra and the China Chamber Orchestra and performed in New England's major orchestras. Ding's natural gifts as a chamber musician were recognized early when she won first prize at the National String Quartet Competition in China. She was featured on Chinese national television and accompanied Chinese government delegations to promote culture exchanges in many countries. Her passion for chamber music has continued throughout her career, including her 2007 quartet tour of China with BSO colleagues, concerts in Boston and at Tanglewood as part of the prelude concert series, and many summers as visiting artist at the International Musical Arts Institute in Fryeburg, Maine. In addition, Ding is a member of the Milton String Quartet, with which she performs concerts in support of children's charities in China and around the world. Teaching also plays a major role in her professional life; she was a faculty member of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and her dedication and experience in the field have been widely recognized. She was named studio teacher of the year by the American String Teachers Association of Massachusetts in 2007, and in 2011 was invited to judge the first-ever Greater Boston Chinese Repertoire Violin Competition. The oldest child of a musical family, Ding studied piano and violin with her mother. At age 10, she was one of six young violinists selected nationwide to enter the primary school of Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She received a bachelor's degree from the China's Central Conservatory of Music and in 1996 arrived in the U.S., where she continued her studies in Houston and in Boston before earning an artist diploma from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Her principal teachers were the legendary pedagogues Zhenshan Wang, Fredell Lack, and Eric Rosenblith. Ding launched her BSO career while attending Longy and now balances teaching, chamber music, and orchestra performance as part of a well-rounded and fulfilling musical life.