Kailin Yong
Awarded Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin for 2004/2005
Violinist, teacher and composer Kailin Yong,
a native of Singapore and resident of Boulder, Colorado
is the second recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial
Violin. The award, given in August 2004 by a committee
headed by Mark O'Connor at his Strings Conference in
San Diego, California, honors Kailin's exceptional
musicianship.
The Daniel Pearl Memorial violin was crafted by Jonathan
Cooper of Maine in honor of the slain American reporter,
who was also an accomplished violinist and fiddler.
Kailin will have the instrument for one year and plans
to use it for all of his musical endeavors. Kailin will
offer several Daniel Pearl Music Day concerts with his
jazz quartet, Boulder Acoustic Society, and together
with the Boulder Youth Symphony. Early in 2005 Kailin
is planning to give several concerts dedicated to memory
of Daniel Pearl in his native home of Singapore as well
as his adopted home in Colorado.
“I feel very honored to have received the Daniel
Pearl dedication violin, and I feel spiritually connected
to the cause of this musical mission of peace.”
said Kailin upon receiving the violin. “I think
its one of the most beautiful things ever to see people
of all backgrounds come together, to be moved and transported
to heaven by music, overcoming all the ugliness, hatred,
and greed in the world. Our calling as musicians is
to keep making beautiful music so that people are constantly
being reminded of the positive side of Life.”
People are familiar with Kailin as a multi-faceted
artist. It is as common to hear him playing a Bach solo
sonata as to hear him jamming on Sweet Georgia Brown
with his jazz quartet. “It is a great feeling
to play music with people – to create an instant
camaraderie with other musicians when we're able
to speak each other's musical language.”
Kailin is working on his new solo album, a musical
diary of the past 10 years of his life as he branched
out from classical music to explore new musical styles,
reflecting the places he has lived and the people he
has met and learned from.
The violin has been his constant companion since age
6. He won first prize in the Singapore National Music
Competition, toured the world with the Asian Youth Orchestra,
and then went on to complete his studies in classical
violin performance and chamber music at the Vienna Academy
of Music. His mentors include the Kang Choon Sim, The
Takacs Quartet, Art Lande, Darol Anger, Roshan Jamal
Bhartiya, Georges Lammam, and Souhail Kaspar.
Kailin came to the USA in 1999 to help found the Aerith
String Quartet, performing extensively in the USA and
Asia. Kailin eventually settled in Boulder, CO, and
now performs across the USA as a solo artist as well
as playing with Boulder Acoustic Society (neo-acoustic
jazz), the Colorado Mahlerfestival Orchestra, the Tango
Camerata (Argentine tango), and Saltanah Ensemble (Middle
Eastern). His band Boulder Acoustic Society has recently
been named winner of the Notes@9000 Emerging Artists
Competition, and eagerly anticipates release of their
debut album “So Many Stars in the Sky”.
Kailin combines his multitude of interests in the multi-genre
project Infinite Possibilities Of the Violin (IPOV).
He enjoys composing original music and making creative
arrangements for all the great musicians that touch
his life. He is also involved with Colorado chamber
music outreach programs Up Close and Musical Ensemble
and Art Reaching Kids. Kailin has been a teacher of
violin and improvisational styles for more than ten
years, and was invited as a soloist and instructor at
the First Asia Suzuki Conference. He will be traveling
to San Francisco shortly to record music with the San
Francisco Symphony for the soundtrack of the US Forest
Service's 100th anniversary documentary.
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For more information on Kailin Yong please contact
him at [email protected]
or visit him on the web at www.stringsoftao.com
or www.boulderacousticsociety.net
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