Meet Gloria Yin | Musician, Founder & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gloria Yin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gloria, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always liked creating things and solving problems. I’ve worked in both STEM and music, and my work in both these fields has been motivated by this desire to create things and solve problems. When I was a kid I loved math because math is all about finding imaginative and beautiful ways to answer questions. Then I learned how to code, and I loved that too because I could now build software to answer those questions and do cool things. This urge to build and create didn’t stop when I pivoted to a musical career. One time, I found myself frustrated at the lack of useful ear training tools online, so I built an ear training app for myself for fun.

So when my friend and colleague Joe Lerangis casually remarked that it would be cool to have a website which could make composer recommendations (“if you like JS Bach, you’ll love Wilhelmine von Bayreuth!”) to encourage curiosity and diversity, I thought, well I can do that. Together we quickly realized the educational potential for this website, if we fleshed it out with good research and quality recordings, and so New Muses Project was born. And the rest is history!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the most important things to me about music is that it’s a living thing. Sometimes I feel that classical musicians forget about that. We’re so obsessed with “faithfulness to the score” and “the greats” that we overlook the fact music isn’t anything without the people witnessing the music-making, performers and audience alike.

It’s who I am to constantly question why we do things the way we do. I think part of that is because I’m a latecomer to being a musician. For most of my life I was an outsider to classical music, and when I finally made the leap, it was something I made a conscious, deliberate decision to do, and not a path I was following just because I had always done it. So I ask questions, tough questions. What does it really mean to make classical music about people? What does that mean in terms of the music I choose, the people I work with, the way we interact? Are we really making a positive impact on people’s lives, are we really nourishing souls, or are we just pretending to do that, while participating in this outdated, elitist, racist, gender-discriminating (I could go on) practice without thinking deeply enough about what we’re doing?

New Muses Project came out of a desire to make a tangible, if subtle, shift in the way we think about and discover composers. It’s a way to encourage people to think a little more deeply about the composers they choose to study and enjoy. The author Phillip Pullman has a quote which says, “If you wanted to divert a mighty river into a different course, and all you had was a single pebble, you could do it, as long as you put the pebble in the right place to send the first trickle of water that way instead of this.” We are practical people at New Muses Project, and we know that changing the whole system all at once is pretty much impossible. We’re just hoping to put the pebble in the right place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depends on which city we’re talking about! My home-hometown, London, obviously has more to it than can be seen in a week, but there are a few places that hold particularly fond memories for me. South Kensington is a favourite, and if we were there in the summer we’d definitely need to get standing tickets for the Proms. There’s also museums galore, some lovely coffee shops, and nice streets to walk along. I also like to take visitors to St Paul’s Cathedral to see Evensong and climb up the dome. There are so many beautiful parks too; Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are the most popular but I have lots of nostalgia for Richmond Park. Finally, I have to mention that I’m a public transport person (yes, even in America) so we’ll take the Tube and the bus everywhere!

As for in the US, I’ve spent time living in Princeton, NJ, and New Haven, CT, and I have to say unashamedly that the best ice cream is Bent Spoon and the best coffee is Fussy Coffee, but the best pizza is way too controversial so I will abstain from making my opinions public here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My fellow co-founders at New Muses Project — Joe Lerangis and Rhianna Cockrell — are wonderful, talented people, the best colleagues and friends anyone could ask for. They’ve been with me through thick and thin, professionally and personally. And of course my partner and partner-in-crime Will Myers, who’s been my biggest supporter since day one. I wouldn’t be here without you.

Website: New Muses Project: www.newmusesproject.com // Personal: www.gloriayinconductor.com

Instagram: New Muses Project: @newmusesproject

Linkedin: New Muses Project: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-muses-project // Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloria-yin/

Facebook: New Muses Project: https://www.facebook.com/newmusesproject

Image Credits
Rachel Breen Vincent Po Kim Zhou Simone Hadebe Joey Moro