Presented in partnership with Austin Classical Guitar
Biography
Xuefei Yang is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. Hailed as a musical pioneer, her fascinating journey began after the Cultural Revolution, a period where Western musical instruments & music were banned. Xuefei was the first-ever guitarist in China to enter a music school, & became the first internationally recognized Chinese guitarist on the world stage. Her first public appearance was at the age of ten and received such acclaim that the Spanish Ambassador in China presented her with a concert guitar. Her debut in Madrid at the age of 14 was attended by the composer Joaquín Rodrigo and, when John Williams heard her play, he gave two of his own instruments to Beijing’s Central Conservatoire especially for her and other advanced students.
Her international success has led her to be invited to play in more than 50 countries at numerous prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, all Southbank venues, and Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as the Philharmonie Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, Auditorio Nacional de Espana, Barcelona Auditorium, Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center in New York. In Asia she has appeared at the National Concert Hall Taipei, Hong Kong City Hall & Cultural Center, Esplanade Singapore and Seoul Arts Centre, and gave the first guitar recital and concerto in the Beijing National Center of Performing Arts. Xuefei has also been invited to perform at major music festivals such as BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Shanghai MISA Festival and the Beijing international Music Festival. In 2003 she performed 54 concerts for the “Night of the Proms” Tour, appearing in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, to a total audience of over 800,000 people.
Frequently invited to play with the world’s leading orchestras, she has performed with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Scotland National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and China Philharmonic. Xuefei’s recent highlights include return performances with the English Chamber Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Wintertour Philharmonic, debut performances with Beijing Symphony Orchestra and China National Orchestra, giving the Asian premiere of the Albeniz Concerto written for her by Stephen Goss, and an Australian tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra which included performing the Australian premier of Tan Dun’s guitar concerto. Xuefei’s dedication as a recitalist will see her appear across the world throughout the season. Her engagements in the 2016/17 season include appearances in Melbourne, Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt, London, Bath, Istanbul and concertos with the Seoul Philharmonic, HK Philharmonic, Beijing Symphony & Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester. Xuefei also continues her successful collaboration with the Heath Quartet.
Xuefei has made many albums including several acclaimed recordings for EMI Classics. Her first recording received a gold disc & her second was selected as editor’s choice in Gramophone magazine. Several of the recordings reflect Xuefei’s interest in expanding the repertoire. A concerto album recorded with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Eiji Oue features Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez & Goss’ Albeniz Concerto. Another recording featured Xuefei’s innovative transcriptions of solo works and concertos by J.S. Bach. Xuefei has released two albums in 2016, Colours of Brazil (Decca Classics) and Songs from Our Ancestors (Globe Music), and continues her successful collaboration with Ian Bostridge in a recording made at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Classic FM named Xuefei as one of the 100 top classical musicians of our time. In recognition of her distinguished career, Xuefei was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music in June 2012. Xuefei continues to be ambassador & role model for guitar in China, and since 2015 she has been the artistic director of Changsha International Guitar Festival.
Xuefei is now based in the UK.