Xuefei Yang

Early years Xuefei Yang was born in Beijing, China, on March 15, 1977, 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.

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."

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.

International recognition and honors

Classic FM named her one of the 100 Top Classical Musicians of Our 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. On July 14, 2019, she performed at the Bastille Day concert at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, appearing as soloist in the second movement of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Orchestre National de France, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, 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.

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. which appears on her Concierto de Aranjuez (2010, EMI) album. Yang gave the Asian premiere of this concerto with the China National Orchestra. and featured on 40 Degrees North.

Yang has also performed the Australian premiere of Tan Dun's guitar concerto, 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. 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."

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 guitarists in the world." (9 July 2002)

"But the star of the evening was the Chinese guitarist 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's Night Dance, Timothy Salter's Equipoise premiere, and Britten's Nocturnal after John Dowland, Yang's easeful virtuosity won the day." (Matthew Connolly, The Times, 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 guitar 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 guitarists 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 guitarist 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 [made] this 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 J.S.Bach: Concertos & Transcriptions, 2012 (EMI), with Elias String Quartet Britten Songs, 2013 (EMI), with Ian Bostridge 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 Ian Bostridge 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, 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic 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)