Yang Liu Biography

  • Home
    • >
  • biography
    • >
  • Yang Liu Biopgraphy

    • Short Biography

    Yang Liu is a dynamic and internationally acclaimed violinist, bringing his passion for music to audiences across North America, South America, Asia, and beyond. He performs as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and shares the stage with his wife Olivia as the beloved duo Yang and Olivia, presenting heartfelt programs across the United States and Asia that reflect their love, joy, and faith.

    A prizewinner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Mr. Liu is also the 2023 American Prize winner in String Performance, as well as a first-prize winner of the 2022 Medici International Competition, the 2021 International Artists Award, and China’s 5th National Violin Competition. He made his North American debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and has since appeared with the St. Louis Symphony (Robert Spano, conductor), Cincinnati Symphony, Odense Symphony (Denmark), São Paulo Symphony (Brazil), and others.

    In the Chicago area, Mr. Liu has performed with Ars Viva, Lake Forest Symphony, Highland Park Strings, North Park Symphony, and Oak Park Symphony. As part of a U.S.–China cultural exchange initiated by Secretary of State John Kerry and China’s Cultural Department Chairman Mr. Luo, he toured five cities in China performing the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra. Over the course of his career, he has performed in more than 40 countries.

    Yang Liu is a passionate advocate for cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion through classical music. He is the founder of both the Yang and Olivia Foundation and Momento Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble of diverse ethnicity and instrumentation.

    His artistic journey was featured in the documentary String of Heart – Yang Liu, aired nationwide on CCTV China, and further chronicled in his autobiography, Performing in Love (2014). He has performed on China’s most prestigious New Year’s TV special, reaching tens of millions, and was a featured performer in the Emmy Award-winning video Classical Quest. His debut album, Song of Nostalgia, has been widely praised and regularly broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR) in the U.S.

    Mr. Liu regularly performs and teaches at the Great Wall Music Academy, Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, SESC Music Festival (Brazil), and is a frequent guest on Chicago’s WFMT. He also gives masterclasses at top conservatories and universities around the world.

    Born in China, Yang Liu studied with Lin Yaoji in Beijing before moving to the U.S. in 1998 to study with Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy DeLay. He performs on a 1741 Guarneri violin, generously loaned by the Stradivari Society.

    Mr. Liu resides in Chicago with his wife Olivia and their two sons.


    旅居美国的刘扬先生是当代活跃在国际舞台的著名小提琴演奏家与教育 家。他是第十二届柴科夫斯基国际小提琴比赛获奖者，2023年美国大奖 表演奖得主，2022年 Medici 国家大赛金奖得主，2021年国际艺术家大 奖赛头奖获得者，以及 2020 年全球音乐奖银奖获得者。他曾被《纽约时 报》和《华盛顿邮报》评价为：“……一位年轻而杰出的小提琴家，拥有令 人惊叹的技巧、强烈的音乐感染力以及深刻的艺术洞察力！” 他的演出足迹遍及美国、德国、法国、奥地利、瑞士、丹麦、荷兰、希腊、 埃及、日本、香港、台湾等地，并多次率欧美乐团在中国巡演。刘扬近期 的音乐教育活动包括在芝加哥拉维尼亚音乐节、阿斯本音乐节、葡萄牙 国际音乐节、巴西国际音乐节、北京长城国际音乐节，以及美国芝加哥 大学等高等学府举办大师班及音乐会。他曾与美国亚特兰大交响乐团、 辛辛那提交响乐团、圣路易斯交响乐团等知名乐团合作演出，并进行实 况录音，多次在美国国家公共广播电台（NPR）播出。 刘扬生于中国青岛，九岁考入中央音乐学院附小，师从刘培彦教授。十岁 赴日本，与 NHK 交响乐团合作演出，以一曲《流浪者之歌》征服日本听众 ，被誉为“来自中国的天才”。随后，他在已故著名小提琴教育大师林耀基 教授的悉心指导下学习，并在1993中国全国第五届小提琴比赛中获得第 一名及中国作品最佳演奏两项头奖。在学期间，他先后与中央乐团（现中 国国家交响乐团）、上海交响乐团、中国歌剧舞剧院、香港交响乐团等 知名乐团多次合作演出。 在林耀基先生的帮助下，刘扬于 1998 年赴美国辛辛那提音乐学院深造， 并获该院百年来破例颁发的研究生奖学金，师从科特·萨斯曼丝豪斯（ Kurt Sassmannshaus）。同时，他受到美国最具影响力的小提琴教育家 桃乐丝·迪蕾（Dorothy DeLay）的特别赏识，并成为其门生（迪蕾曾培养出 著名小提琴家伊扎克·帕尔曼等人）。 他在美国录制的独奏专辑《思乡曲》等（Song of Nostalgia）收录了东西方 经典作品，多次在美国国家公共广播电台NPR播出。并已在美国出版发 行。此外，他参与制作的小提琴教育影片 Pursuit of Excellence《追求经 典》荣获美国艾美奖（Emmy Awards）最佳教育影片奖。由中国中央电视 台拍摄录制《人物》刘扬专题节目。刘扬创办的Momento Virtuosi室内乐 团在多国演出，包括特别受邀在纽约联合国大会堂演出。 自 2004 年起，刘扬曾在多所大学担任小提琴教授或客座教授，包括芝加 哥罗斯福大学、芝加哥哥伦比亚大学和辛辛那提大学音乐学院。他与钢 琴家夫人蔡宜璇博士共同创办璇扬艺术基金会。现居美国芝加哥，长期 在美国合作举办独奏音乐会，并于近期完成了横跨美国 24 个州的大型 巡演。刘扬目前使用的小提琴是 1741 年的瓜奈利名琴，由美国芝加哥斯 特拉迪瓦里名琴协会提供赞助
    Praised as “a scorching performance!” by The New York Times and “…from China, with dazzling talent!” by The Washington Post, violinist Yang Liu is an internationally celebrated artist whose career spans more than 40 countries. A laureate of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Mr. Liu has also won first prizes at the 2023 American Prize in String Performance, the 2022 Medici International Competition, the 2021 International Artists Award, and China’s 5th National Violin Competition. As a soloist, he has appeared with leading orchestras around the world, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and the Danish Royal Odense Philharmonic, among others. His award-winning album, Song of Nostalgia, highlights his exceptional virtuosity and deep musical sensitivity. His repertoire spans from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary commissions and from Western classical to traditional Eastern music. A passionate advocate for cultural exchange and inclusion through music, Yang Liu founded the Yang and Olivia Arts Foundation and Momento Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble noted for its ethnic and instrumental diversity. Born in Qingdao, China, Mr. Liu studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under Professor Yaoji Lin, and later at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati with Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy DeLay. He became an American citizen in 2014 through the United States’ Extraordinary Ability immigration program.