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Xuefei Yang
Guitar star, the first Chinese-trained virtuoso soloist on that instrument.
Born: Born: March 15, 1977
Career highlights
- 1991: Her debut concert in Mardrid is attended by none other than Joaquin Rodrigo, composer of Concierto de Aranjuez. He is duly impressed.
- 2000: She moves to London to attend graduate school at the Royal Academy of Music.
- 2002: She begins full-time concertizing. In 2003, she performs in the “Night of the Proms” Tour.
- 2005: She signs on with EMI Recordings.
Fun Facts
Xuefei Yang performs "Un Sueno en la Floresta" by Barrios- Regular girl: In her downtime, “Fei” (her English moniker) likes to shop, read, see movies, or listen to music. She has a thing for golden retrievers but is afraid her travel schedule won't let her own one. She says she has wide tastes in music – everything from Edith Piaf, Charlie Parker, and the Beatles to Portuguese fado and the Buena Vista Social Club album to Silvius Leopold Weiss, a contemporary of Bach and a great lute player.
SFCV Articles Featuring Xuefei Yang
August 30, 2011
Frets Fantastic: Seven Guitarists Highlight Autumn
The first Chinese classical guitarist to launch an international career, Xuefei Yang was so accomplished as a teen that John Williams gave two of his own Smallman guitars to the Beijing Conservatory so she would have excellent instruments to play. Now in her 30s and a ravishing interpreter of traditional guitar repertoire, she has also made brilliant arrangements of Chinese music and has collaborated with many contemporary composers to create works on Chinese themes.