Coolly-soulful playing.

—The Herald

Program

BACH: Lute Suite, BWV 1006a
GIULIO REGONDI: Nocturne - Reverie Op. 19
STEPHEN GOSS: The Chinese Garden: Jasmine Flower (Mo Li Hua), Red Flowers Blooming all over the Mountain, Blue Orchid (Lan Hua Hua), Waterfall Music
ALBÉNIZ: España, Seis hojas de álbum, Op. 165
LEO BROUWER: Sonata
FRANCISCO TARREGA: Carnival of Venice

ENCORE:
Arr. G. GARCIA: Plum blossoms in the snow
HE ZHANHAO & CHEN GANG: The Butterfly Lovers, Mov't 1

About This Performance

Chinese virtuoso Xuefei Yang is a pioneer. Among other “firsts,” she was the first guitarist to enter a music school in her native country and the first person from mainland China to launch an international career on the instrument. With a rapidly rising profile, she has appeared in over 40 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

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Artist Biography

Xuefei Yang began playing the guitar at the age of seven, and took formal tuition at ten. Soon after, she made her first public appearance at the First China International Guitar Festival. She immediately gained such acclaim that the Spanish Ambassador in China presented her with a concert guitar.

From the age of 13, Xuefei was educated at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. At 14, she made her Madrid debut, which was attended by the composer Rodrigo. In 1995 John Williams came to Beijing. He was so impressed with her playing that he gave two of his own Smallman guitars to the Central Conservatory of Music, in Beijing especially for her and other top students to play. During her school years, Xuefei played extensively in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Spain, and Australia and gave concert tours in Taiwan, Japan and Portugal. Throughout this period, she appeared on numerous radio and television broadcasts in China and abroad.

Xuefei went to the UK in 2000, when she was awarded a full scholarship to study in London at the Royal Academy of Music. The same year Xuefei won the Ivor Mairants International Guitar Competition in London. In 2002, she graduated with distinction, receiving a Dip RAM – the highest performance award conferred by the Royal Academy of Music. In addition she also won the Dorothy Grinstead Prize for a recital at Fairfield Hall, and received the Principal’s prize for exceptional all-round studentship.

In 2003 she performed in 54 concerts for the "Night of the Proms" Tour across Europe to an estimated audience of 800,000. As soloist she has performed with many leading orchestras, including English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Northern Symphonia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Xuefei has also appeared on numerous radio and television programs in different countries, including performances on ITV1 from the 2008 Classical Brit Awards, on Radio 3 as part of the BBC Proms, and an appearance on Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. In 2006, CCTV in China made a biographical television documentary on Xuefei. In 2005 Xuefei received the honour of being made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, for her outstanding achievements.

In 2005, Xuefei signed an exclusive international contract with EMI Classic. Her debut EMI album, Romance de Amor, was released in April 2006. In Hong Kong, the album was awarded a gold disk, and reached number two in the hit charts, remaining in the top ten for several months. It also reached number 3 in the iTunes Top Albums chart in the UK. Her second EMI album, 40 Degrees North, featuring music from Spain and her homeland of China, was released in April 2008. It reached number 2 in the UK Amazon, Chamber Music and Instrumental chart.

Xuefei recorded two other albums prior to signing with EMI. The second of these recordings, Si Ji, meaning Four Seasons, was dedicated to Xuefei’s homeland of China. It featured many new Chinese inspired compositions, written specifically for Xuefei.

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