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Yang Liu Biography

Biography

Yang Liu is an internationally acclaimed violinist and prize winner of the XII International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. His recent honors include First Prize at the 2023 American Prize in String Performance, First Prize at the 2022 Medici International Music Competition, First Prize at the 2021 International Artists Award Competition, and First Prize at China’s Fifth National Violin Competition. The New York Times praised his “scorching performance,” while The Washington Post hailed his “dazzling talent.”

As a soloist, Mr. Liu has appeared with numerous leading orchestras in China and abroad, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra (Denmark), São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (Brazil), and the Portuguese Philharmonic. He has performed and presented masterclasses in more than forty countries across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

A dedicated advocate for cultural exchange through music, Mr. Liu was selected as the American representative in a major U.S.–China cultural exchange initiative jointly launched by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Minister of Culture Luo Shugang. As featured soloist with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, he performed the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto on a five-city tour of China, helping to strengthen mutual understanding through music.

Mr. Liu’s artistic journey was featured in the CCTV documentary People: Violinist Yang Liu and later chronicled in the publication Heartstrings. He was also featured in the Emmy Award–winning documentary Classical Quest. His debut recording, Nostalgia, received critical acclaim for its artistry and expressive depth.

Beyond the concert stage, Mr. Liu is dedicated to community engagement and arts education. Together with pianist Olivia Tsai, he forms the award-winning Yang & Olivia Violin-Piano Duo, recipients of the American Prize in Chamber Music Performance and the Global Music Awards Silver Medal. The duo also co-founded the Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation, which brings multicultural music programs to underserved communities through performances, educational initiatives, and community outreach.

Born in Qingdao, China, Mr. Liu studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with the renowned pedagogue Lin Yaoji before continuing his training in the United States with Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy DeLay at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He performs on a 1741 Guarneri violin generously loaned by the Stradivari Society.

Yang Liu Bio

Yang Liu is an internationally acclaimed violinist and prizewinner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He is also the 2023 American Prize winner in String Performance and a first-prize winner of the Medici International Competition, International Artists Award, and China’s 5th National Violin Competition.

He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Odense Symphony (Denmark), and São Paulo Symphony (Brazil), and has performed in more than forty countries. A dedicated advocate for cultural dialogue through music, Mr. Liu is founder of the Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation and performs on a 1741 Guarneri violin on loan from the Stradivari Society.

Olivai Tsai Bio

Dr. Olivia I-Hsuan Tsai is Professor of Piano at VanderCook College of Music and an internationally active performer, scholar, and arts leader. A frequent presenter at national conferences including CMS, MTNA, and NCKP, she is recognized for championing culturally diverse repertoire and expanding the pedagogical canon through cross-cultural programming. Her book Schubert’s Piano Trios (Scholar’s Press, 2014) reflects her scholarly engagement with performance and analysis. Dr. Tsai has appeared as soloist with orchestras in the United States and China and has served on the faculty of major festivals including Aspen. She is co-founder of the Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation, dedicated to promoting music of diverse cultural influences through performance and community engagement.

劉揚（長版）

劉揚是享譽國際的小提琴家，曾獲第十二屆柴可夫斯基國際小提琴比賽獎項，並先後榮獲2023年美國弦樂演奏家大獎賽冠軍、2022年米第奇國際音樂家大獎賽冠軍、2021年美國國際藝術家大獎賽冠軍，以及中國第五屆全國小提琴比賽青年組第一名。《紐約時報》盛讚其演奏為「熾烈而富有感染力（scorching performance）」，《華盛頓郵報》則稱其為「才華橫溢、令人矚目的藝術家（dazzling talent）」。

作為獨奏家，劉揚曾與中國眾多知名交響樂團合作演出，並受邀與美國亞特蘭大交響樂團、聖路易斯交響樂團、辛辛那提交響樂團、丹麥歐登塞交響樂團、巴西聖保羅交響樂團、葡萄牙愛樂樂團等國際知名樂團合作。他曾在北美、南美、歐洲及亞洲四十餘個國家舉辦音樂會與大師班活動。

長期以來，劉揚致力於以音樂促進中美文化交流。他曾受邀參與由美國前國務卿約翰·克里（John Kerry）與中國文化部部長雒樹剛共同發起的中美文化交流項目，並作為美方代表與青島交響樂團合作演出《梁山伯與祝英台》小提琴協奏曲，在中國五座城市巡演，以音樂促進兩國人民之間的理解與友誼。

劉揚的藝術成長歷程曾獲中國中央電視台《人物》欄目專題報導，並拍攝紀錄片《心弦》。他還參與演出了艾美獎獲獎紀錄片《Classical Quest》。其首張專輯《思鄉曲》出版後廣受樂評界與樂迷好評。

除演奏事業外，劉揚亦長期投身藝術教育與社區文化發展事業。現居芝加哥的他與鋼琴家蔡宜璇組成獲獎演奏組合「Yang & Olivia 璇揚奏」，曾榮獲美國室內樂演奏大獎（American Prize in Chamber Music Performance）及 Global Music Awards 全球音樂大獎銀獎。二人並共同創立璇揚藝術基金會（Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation），透過音樂會、教育項目及社區活動推動多元文化交流，為弱勢及資源不足社區帶來高品質藝術體驗。

劉揚出生於山東青島，九歲考入中央音樂學院附小，師從中國著名小提琴教育家林耀基教授，後赴美國深造，在辛辛那提音樂學院師從 Kurt Sassmannshaus 教授及著名小提琴教育家 Dorothy DeLay 女士。現演奏的1741年瓜奈里名琴由斯特拉迪瓦里協會（Stradivari Society）慷慨提供。

劉揚（短版）

劉揚為莫斯科第十二屆柴可夫斯基國際小提琴比賽獲獎者，並榮獲2023年美國弦樂大獎賽冠軍等多項國際殊榮。其演出足跡遍及四十餘國，曾與亞特蘭大交響樂團、聖路易斯交響樂團、辛辛那提交響樂團及丹麥、巴西等重要樂團合作。

他致力於透過古典音樂推動跨文化交流與藝術多元，現演奏1741年瓜奈里名琴（由斯特拉迪瓦里協會提供）。

Yang Liu is an internationally acclaimed violinist and prizewinner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He is also the 2023 American Prize winner in String Performance and a first-prize winner of the Medici International Competition, International Artists Award, and China’s 5th National Violin Competition.

He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Odense Symphony (Denmark), and São Paulo Symphony (Brazil), and has performed in more than forty countries. A dedicated advocate for cultural dialogue through music, Mr. Liu is founder of the Yang & Olivia Arts Foundation and performs on a 1741 Guarneri violin on loan from the Stradivari Society.