Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Lin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Natalie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in New Zealand, but having lived in Houston for over seven years now, I’m proud to identify Houstonian. I love living in my diverse Montrose neighborhood and have fallen in love with all the local quirks of this city.
I started playing the violin when I was four years old. My older sister, Christabel, began playing when she was six, and as the younger one, I was eager to followed suit. I always knew I had to go overseas if I wanted to really pursue a career in music, so in 2007, I made the move to the United States and began my (very long!) educational track in music. I was definitely on the traditional path! I received my Bachelor and Master of music degrees from Cleveland Institute of Music, and now, I’m wrapping up a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rice University.
However, a career in music is seldom predictable. Originally, I had started a doctorate to explore the possibility of going into academia and pedagogy. But instead, once I arrived at Rice, I found myself being drawn into the world of arts entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, I started to really fall in love with Houston and get to know the arts climate here – and I determined that there was definitely room to start something new. In 2014 I started “what-if?”-ing about starting a new chamber ensemble in Houston, and in 2015 I took the plunge. With a group of fellow musicians I had met at Rice, I founded KINETIC – while still a full time student! It’s been a big adventure ever since.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenge has been to learn all the ropes of business, entrepreneurship, and the non-profit sector entirely on the job. Before starting KINETIC, it had never in crossed my mind to take any business-related courses, because I had always been focused solely on being a violinist. However, once I neared the end of my education, I realized that to be able to this very specific kind of performing that I was so passionate about (playing in a conductorless ensemble), I had to start thinking entrepreneurially and create something that didn’t yet exist in Houston.
It certainly hasn’t been easy, but what has kept me focused and motivated is my belief in the artistic product. I am — and always will be — a performer at heart, and the ultimate goal of KINETIC is to perform! Performing with KINETIC is so much fun. I get to present powerful, innovative, high-quality music for the Houston public, alongside a team of incredibly talented, collaborative, and spontaneously creative musicians.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about KINETIC – what should we know?
KINETIC is a 16-member conductorless chamber ensemble (some would call it an orchestra), made up of a group of young professional string players. To unpack that a little bit: you’ve probably seen a traditional orchestra, where there is ALWAYS a conductor. That person basically runs the show: they direct the rehearsals, call the shots, and make all the artistic decisions. What makes KINETIC fundamentally different is that we’re conductorLESS. We very purposely don’t have a conductor, which gives artistic license to the musicians themselves and makes our ensemble for more democratic and collaborative. It also means we communicate and stay connected with one another by using body language, eye contact, and physical gestures – and it makes for a really energetic and dynamic live performance experience – hence the name, KINETIC.
Our mission is to enrich the musical vibrancy of Houston’s cultural landscape through live performances, distinct programming, and interactive learning experiences. You can see us playing around town in places like MATCH (Midtown Arts & Theater Center), art galleries, schools, and hospitals. We’re proud to be the first exclusively conductorless professional orchestra in Houston, and to be putting Houston on the map for creating producing innovative, high quality, live classical music.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m very grateful for my mentors and professors from the universities who encouraged me to pursue this dream of starting KINETIC, and venture off the beaten path. Without their encouragement, I’m not sure if I would have taken the plunge. I also could not have done it without my incredibly talented musician colleagues, many of whom I met at Rice University, who were willing to invest so much of their valuable time to going on this adventure with. Their personalities, their individuality, and their creativity are what make KINETIC so unique. And of course, I could not be doing this without my Board of Directors, who totally own the mission and show so much support for KINETIC.
Pricing:
- $20 General Admission / $10 Students for our concert, “Musical Madness” MATCH on May 6, 2018, 6:30pm
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kineticensemble.org
- Email: info@kineticensemble.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kineticensemble
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kinetictheensemble
Image Credit:
Lynn Lane, Ben Doyle, Jin Hee Park
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