The Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF) has chosen Chi-Yuan Lin as the 2026–28 TACF Fellow.

Lin was selected from a competitive cycle with nearly 150 applicants representing 41 nationalities. Currently, Lin is serving in the Conductor position with the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center Ensemble. This season she will work on “Cavalleria rusticana,” “Pagliacci,” “Salome,” and “Madama Butterfly,” and will return for another season as Music Director and Conductor of the Avanti Orchestra in Washington, DC. Previous engagements include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and Peabody Opera Theatre.

She received a master’s and bachelor’s degrees from National Taiwan Normal University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She was a 2023–24 Mentee in the TACF Mentoring Program.

In a press release Lin states, “It’s an unbelievable honor to be selected as the 2026 Fellow of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. I have long cherished the TACF as a truly special organization. It offers generous, hands-on guidance while creating space, opportunity, and a strong support system as we navigate our future careers. I am especially excited for the opportunity to work with orchestras around the world, to learn through meaningful mentorship with Marin Alsop, and to grow alongside other inspiring female conductors.”

The TACF also named Michelle Di Russo as Associate Fellow, and Joséphine Korda, Polina Lebedieva, Ziwei Ma, and Molly Turner as Award Recipients.

The Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship is a two-year award that includes intensive coaching and mentoring with Marin Alsop and other music industry professionals, as well as a monetary award. Since 2003, 42 women conductors have been chosen to participate in the program. The TACF Mentoring Program was established in 2022 and has added 50 additional women conductors to the TACF. All are working to ensure a more equitable future in classical music through their artistry and advocacy. Among them, 32 Music Director/Chief Conductor titles are held with orchestras around the world.

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