Darren Lin
Interim Music Director & Conductor
Darren Lin is a conductor, percussionist, and educator based in Arlington, VA. One of the most versatile artists in the country, he is one of only two musicians to have both cover-conducted and performed as an instrumentalist with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Lin’s engagements have brought him across North America and Europe, working with orchestras like the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Sinfonietta, as well as multi-award-winning stars across multiple genres like gospel singer Yolanda Adams, rapper and actor LL Cool J, and composer John Williams. Equally comfortable in the opera pit, Lin recently premiered The Delta King’s Blues, a new chamber opera composed by Damien Geter and librettist Jarrod Lee. Lin has been recognized for his innovative programming (Washington Post, New York Times) and is fiercely committed to diversifying the standard repertoire and making the arts more inclusive and accessible for all.
A passionate advocate for music education, Darren Lin has taught at the collegiate, high school, middle school, and elementary levels. His private students consistently place with high honors in Solo & Ensemble competitions and All State Bands and Orchestra festivals. Several of his students have gone on to further studies in percussion at esteemed programs like the Crane School of Music, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Miami, and the University of Michigan. As a guest artist and clinician, Lin has worked with honor bands and orchestras as well as presented masterclasses and clinics at public schools and universities in over 30 different states. In 2018, he was the Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA. Currently, Lin serves as percussion faculty at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. and is a frequent collaborator and clinician with the Washington Musical Pathways Institute.
In addition to serving as the interim Music Director and Conductor of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for the 2026-27 season, Lin serves as the Associate Director of one of the premiere military ensembles in Washington, D.C. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and holds additional degrees and study from the Eastman School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the University of Maryland. His primary mentors include Christopher James Lees, David Neely, Michael Haithcock, and Rodney Dorsey.