Celebrating women violinists: Yu Lina

For International Women’s Day, we’re honoring a group of legendary Chinese violinists — starting with the pioneering Yu Lina!

Born in Shanghai and educated at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Yu Lina made history at just 18 years old when she premiered the iconic Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto in 1959. Her recording of this masterpiece has sold over 2 million copies, making it the best-selling instrumental album in Chinese history.

In 1960, she became one of the first Chinese musicians to win an international string competition, as the first violinist of the Shanghai Women’s String Quartet at the Schumann Competition in Berlin.

Her illustrious career has taken her across Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia, performing with renowned orchestras including the BBC Orchestra and Russian Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, she mastered over 30 string quartet repertoires — more than any violinist in China at the time.

Since 1962, Professor Yu has shaped generations of musicians at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, serving as a jury member at top competitions like the Tchaikovsky and Wieniawski, and teaching at festivals worldwide.