Xuefei Yang (; born March 15, 1977) is a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

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acclaimed as one of the world's finest classical guitarists. Classic FM named her one of the 100 Top Classical Musicians of Our Time, and BBC Music Magazine ranks her among the Top Six Guitarists of the Century. The first internationally recognized Chinese guitarist, she has captivated audiences in more than 50 countries and is praised by Gramophone magazine as one of the leading innovators of her generation for expanding the classical guitar repertoire.

Early years

Xuefei Yang was born in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, on March 15, 1977, during a period of cultural transition following the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, when Western musical instruments, including the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, were largely prohibited. Yang made her public debut at age ten at the First China International Guitar Festival, where her performance earned widespread acclaim. The Spanish Ambassador to China, impressed by her talent, gifted her a concert

. At fourteen, she performed her debut concert in Madrid, where the legendary composer

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical g ...

was in the audience. When

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

heard her play, he gave two of his own instruments to Beijing's Central Conservatoire especially for her and other advanced students. Yang broke new ground as the first guitarist in China to be admitted to a formal music school, enrolling at the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM; ) is the national music academy of China, located in Beijing. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The academy is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Overview Fo ...

in Beijing, where she honed her craft and laid the foundation for her international career.

Further education

In 2000, Yang became the first Chinese guitarist to receive an international scholarship from the

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...

(ABRSM) to pursue a postgraduate program at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

(RAM) in London. This scholarship was the first awarded to a guitarist by the ABRSM. In 2002, Yang graduated from the RAM with distinction, earning a Recital Diploma and receiving the Royal Academy of Music Principal's Prize for exceptional all-round studentship.

Later career

Following her establishment as an international performer, Xuefei Yang's career evolved to encompass extensive global touring and repertoire development. She has performed in more than 50 countries at prestigious venues, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and the BBC Proms, and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Ian Bostridge, Johannes Moser, Roberto Alagna and Sir James Galway.

Repertoire expansion and cultural bridge-building

A defining aspect of Yang's later career has been her systematic expansion of the classical guitar repertoire through Chinese music transcriptions and cross-cultural collaborations. After moving to England and starting her professional career, Yang asked herself, "What is my identity?" leading her to embrace her role as a Chinese artist. She noted that during the Cultural Revolution, guitar was regarded as a "hooligan instrument," and there was no substantial Chinese repertoire for guitar. Yang has developed extensive expertise in transcription work, explaining, "I like to do transcriptions. It's one way to expand the repertoire of the guitar, which I want to do." Her approach involves meticulous study, as she describes: "Like with the Bach violin concertos, I spent a lot of time really studying the score and comparing different versions." She notes that "the guitar is very versatile, and well suited to playing Chinese music, as China has a long heritage of plucked instruments." In 2019-2020, Yang undertook a significant cultural project, giving a bigger proportion of her concert programs to Chinese repertoire, working on new transcriptions including classics, folk, and chamber pieces, and recording a whole album of Chinese music. This culminated in her 2020 album "Sketches of China," which features collaborations with traditional Chinese instrumentalists and showcases the depth and breadth of Chinese music. ArtMuseLondon described it as "a release as important as it is appealing, this masterpiece is perhaps Yang's greatest labour of love, not to mention a colossal achievement."

International recognition and honors

Classic FM named her one of the 100 Top Classical Musicians of Our Time, and BBC Music Magazine ranks her among the Top Six Guitarists of the Century. In 2012, she was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music, a title held by at most 300 people at any one time. She was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with the award presented by the Principal Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, and she holds the position of International Guitar Chair at the institution. Gramophone magazine praised her as one of the leading innovators of her generation for continuing to build the guitar repertoire. Yang has also been honored with the artistic directorship of the Changsha International Guitar Festival since 2015.

Notable performances and collaborations

Yang has appeared multiple times at the BBC Proms, including performing 'Cavatina' with the Ulster Orchestra conducted by David Brophy at BBC Proms in the Park, Belfast in 2018. On July 14, 2019, she performed at the Bastille Day concert at the foot of the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

in Paris, appearing as soloist in the second movement of Rodrigo's ''

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a concerto for classical guitar by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the ...

'' with the

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France (; ; abbr. ONF) is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since 1975), the ONF performs mainly in the Grand ...

, conducted by

Jaap van Zweden Jaap van Zweden (; born 12 December 1960) is a Dutch conductor and violinist. He is currently music director of the Seoul Philharmonic and music director-designate of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Biography Van Zweden was bo ...

, before a live audience of 500,000 people. Her orchestral collaborations have expanded significantly, with performances alongside major ensembles including the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Performances

Xuefei Yang has performed extensively across the globe, captivating audiences in more than 50 countries. Her international success has led her to prestigious venues such as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

in New York,

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, and all

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

venues in London, as well as the Philharmonie Berlin,

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, Auditorio Nacional de España, and Barcelona Auditorium. Among her most notable performances was her appearance at the 2019 Bastille Day concert at the foot of the

in Paris, where she performed as soloist in the second movement of Rodrigo's ''

'' with the

, conducted by

, before a live audience of 500,000 people. The concert concluded with spectacular fireworks and was broadcast live on television across France. Yang has made multiple appearances at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

, including performing "Cavatina" with the Ulster Orchestra conducted by David Brophy at BBC Proms in the Park, Belfast in 2018. She performed at 54 concerts for the "Night of the Proms Tour" in 2003/2004, appearing in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, to a total audience of over 800,000 people. Yang is frequently invited to perform with the world's leading orchestras including the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) () is a Scottish orchestra, based in Glasgow. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has played an important part in Scotland’s ...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...

, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra,

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra based in Hong Kong. Colloquially referred to as the HKPO or HKPhil (), the orchestra was first established in 1947 as an amateur orchestra under the name Sino-British Orchestra (), ...

, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and China National Orchestra.

Recordings

Xuefei Yang's extensive discography showcases her pioneering role in expanding the classical guitar repertoire through three distinct but interconnected approaches: exploring an exceptionally wide range of musical styles and traditions, premiering contemporary works written specifically for her by leading composers, and creating groundbreaking transcriptions of traditional Chinese music that had never been adapted for guitar before. Gramophone magazine praised her as one of the leading innovators of her generation for continuing to build the guitar repertoire, and her recordings have received critical acclaim, with her first receiving a gold disc and her second selected as Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine.

Wide range of repertoire

Yang's recordings demonstrate remarkable stylistic diversity, spanning centuries and continents. Her debut album ''Classical Guitar by Xuefei Yang'' (1999, Xianheng Nanjing) showcased her early talent across traditional repertoire. ''Romance de Amor'' (2006, EMI) explores Spanish repertoire by

Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the post-romantic era who also had a significant influence on his con ...

and

, while ''40 Degrees North'' (2008, EMI) features Yang's transcription of Mallorca alongside works from multiple traditions. Her album ''Heartstrings'' (2015, Decca) exemplifies this diversity, featuring "many of the big names associated with the traditional and modern guitar repertoire (Falla, Barrios, Albéniz, Pujol, Llobet, Brouwer, Dyens, York), and a wide range of other classical composers (Debussy, Elgar, Schubert, Paganini, Mussorgsky)" with an emphasis on more melodic, accessible pieces. Yang produced the album herself, explaining: "I wanted to do an album that might get to a wider audience, with lighter and shorter pieces." The album reached #1 in Hong Kong classical charts for 3 weeks. ''J.S. Bach: Concertos & Transcriptions'' (2012, EMI) with the Elias String Quartet showcases Yang's innovative Bach arrangements, including violin and harpsichord concertos arranged for guitar and string quartet. Her collaborations extend to vocal music, including ''Britten Songs'' (2013, EMI) and ''Songs from Our Ancestors'' (2016, Globe Music) with

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

, and chamber music such as ''Milonga Del Angel'' (2018, Deutsche Grammophon) with violinist Mengla Huang, demonstrating her versatility across genres.

Premiering contemporary works

Yang has been instrumental in commissioning and premiering new works for guitar, working closely with composers to expand the instrument's contemporary repertoire. She has received new works from composers such as Chen Yi, Stephen Goss, Timothy Salter, and Carlo Domeniconi. Stephen Goss wrote the ''Albéniz Concerto'' specifically for Yang, "commissioned by EMI Classics for Xuefei Yang, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya and conductor Eiji Oue", which appears on her ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (2010, EMI) album. Yang gave the Asian premiere of this concerto with the China National Orchestra. Goss also composed ''Chinese Garden'' for her, a set of four pieces based on Chinese folksongs, first performed at Wigmore Hall, London, on 16 April 2008 and featured on ''40 Degrees North''. Yang has also performed the Australian premiere of Tan Dun's guitar concerto, and has received works from Mark Houghton, Leo Brouwer (who dedicated a piece to Yang for the Changsha International Guitar Festival), and John Brunning, whose complete guitar works with orchestra are featured on ''Magna Carta'' (2022, Prima Facie) with the

Traditional Chinese music transcriptions

Perhaps Yang's most significant contribution to guitar repertoire has been her pioneering transcriptions of traditional Chinese music, bringing centuries-old melodies to the guitar for the first time. "Many of our traditional instruments are plucked so the guitar is a very natural fit", Yang explains. Her album ''Si Ji (Four Seasons)'' (2005, GSP) was groundbreaking in this regard, featuring Chinese pieces like Wang Huiran's ''Yi Dance'' and Yang's transcription of ''Three Ancient Melodies''. The album includes works by contemporary Chinese composers alongside Yang's arrangements of traditional pieces, creating a bridge between ancient and modern Chinese musical traditions. Her album ''Heartstrings'' (2015, Decca) also features significant Chinese transcriptions, including ''The Fisherman's Song at Eventide'', which Yang describes as particularly meaningful and which she often uses as an encore piece that "seemed to resonate most strongly" with audiences. ''Sketches of China'' (2020, Decca) represents the culmination of this work, featuring "traditional music, which is a big part of Chinese culture, arranged for guitar, and the more modern pieces written specially for the instrument, as well as pieces for guitar and orchestra". The album includes collaborations with traditional Chinese instrumentalists Weiliang Zhang (xiao) and Yuan Sha (guzheng). ArtMuseLondon described it as "a release as important as it is appealing, this masterpiece is perhaps Yang's greatest labour of love, not to mention a colossal achievement." Yang's latest releases continue this multifaceted approach: ''X Culture'' (2023, Apple Music) features "composers exploring musical inspirations from other cultures", while ''Songs of Joy and Sorrow'' (2024, Apple Music) with cellist Johannes Moser demonstrates ongoing collaboration across musical traditions. Her album ''Chapeau Satie'' (2025, Platoon Ltd) shows her continued exploration of diverse repertoire, this time focusing on the French composer Erik Satie.

Reception

Yang has received widespread critical acclaim throughout her career. Early in her career, German newspaper Badische Zeitung declared: "The enthusiastic reviews that have appeared in the press about this far-eastern prodigy do not seem in the slightest exaggerated after hearing this concert. Xuefei Yang is already among the best

ists in the world." (9 July 2002) "But the star of the evening was the Chinese

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Xuefei Yang. In Xiaoyong Chen's Static and Rotation she turned sweet, chiming overtones into a wild sound like a hailstorm on a window. And, playing with similar brilliance in

Robert Saxton Robert Saxton (born 8 October 1953 in London) is a British composer. Biography Robert Saxton was born in London and started composing at the age of six. He was educated at Bryanston School. Guidance in early years from Benjamin Britten and El ...

's Night Dance,

Timothy Salter Timothy Salter (born in Mexborough, Yorkshire in 1942) is an English composer, conductor and pianist. Biography Timothy Salter studied at St John's College, Cambridge, where he won the John Stewart of Rannoch Scholarship in sacred music. His ...

's Equipoise premiere, and

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's Nocturnal after John Dowland, Yang's easeful virtuosity won the day." (Matthew Connolly,

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

, 14 January 2003) The New York Sun described her as "one of the most extraordinary instrumentalists in the world," while Northwestern University noted her performances display "sparkle, clarity, and flair." "Feisty virtuosity, impeccable technique and sensitive musicianship… her lyrical playing, warm sound and charismatic artistry connect with audiences far beyond the

fraternity." (New York Times, cited in Classic FM Magazine, 2012) Reviewing her performance with the Hallé Orchestra in 2012, the Oldham Chronicle wrote: "The Hallé played host to one of the world's finest classical

ists as Beijing-born Xuefei Yang took centre stage for a performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The UK-based musician wowed the audience with her precision and feeling." BBC Music Magazine reviewer Freya Parr praised Yang's technical prowess, noting: "You can't fault Yang for her control, accuracy and technical prowess. Her articulation is varied, her intentions never in doubt." In 2020, Gramophone featured Yang in a podcast about her album ''Sketches of China'', describing it as "a beautiful celebration of music from her homeland." Her album ''X Culture'' was named as a top 25 recording of 2023 by ArtMuseLondon. "The innovative and indefatigable

ist delighted an appreciative audience at the Boston Classical Guitar Society's concert… Yang's ability to combine multiple genres, perform with an improvisatory spirit, and engage with generosity adethis charismatic musician a standout." (The Boston Musical Intelligencer, 15 March 2023)

Discography

*''Classical Guitar by Xuefei Yang'', 1999 (先恒, Xianheng Nanjing) *''Si Ji (Four Seasons)'', 2005 (GSP) *''Romance de Amor'', 2006 (EMI) *''40 Degrees North'', 2008 (EMI) *''Concierto de Aranjuez'', 2010 (EMI), with

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia (; ) is a symphony orchestra based in Barcelona, Spain. Since April 1999, the Orchestra has had its headquarters at L'Auditori. Prior to that, from its foundation to 1998, the o ...

*''J.S.Bach: Concertos & Transcriptions'', 2012 (EMI), with Elias String Quartet *''Britten Songs'', 2013 (EMI), with

*''Sojourn - The Very Best of Xuefei Yang'', 2013 (Warner), with Elias String Quartet *''Heartstrings'', 2015 (Decca/Universal) *''Colours of Brazil'', 2016 (Decca/Universal) *''Songs from Our Ancestors'', 2016 (Globe Music), with

*''Milonga Del Angel'', 2018 (Deutsche Grammophon), with Mengla Huang *''One Day in November (EP)'', 2019 (Apple Music) *''Sketches of China'', 2020 (Decca/Universal), with

Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra The Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra (XPO) ) is based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, the People's Republic of China. It is one of the top orchestras in China, and the only non-state-owned and self-financing orchestra in the country. Founded in 1998, XPO ...

, Weiliang Zhang, Sha Yuan *''Summertime (EP)'', 2021 (Apple Music) *''Winter Songs (EP)'', 2021 (Apple Music) *''Magna Carta: The Complete Works for Guitar and Orchestra of John Brunning'', 2022 (Prima Facie), with

*''Guitar Favourites'', 2022 (Decca/Universal) *''Striking a Chord'', 2022 (Warner) *''X Culture'', 2023 (Apple Music) *''Songs of Joy and Sorrow'', 2024 (Apple Music), with Johannes Moser *''Chapeau Satie'', 2025 (Platoon Ltd)

References

External links

www.xuefeiyang.com

Interviews

Feb 21, 2007 (Classical Guitar Alive!
mp3
(www.xuefeiyang.com)

Audio and video

from Xuefei Yang official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Xuefei 1977 births Living people Chinese classical guitarists Child classical musicians Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Musicians from Beijing EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists Women classical guitarists 21st-century Chinese guitarists 21st-century Chinese women guitarists