CLARA
Yang
PIANIST
“A first-rate pianist who isn't afraid of challenges.”
Fanfare
NEWS
ABOUT
Praised by critics for her sensitivity, intelligence, and excitement in her playing, Chinese-American pianist Clara Yang has performed in notable venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid), the Seymour Centre (Sydney), Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater (Rochester), the Sunset Center (Carmel), and on major series such as Carolina Performing Arts, Dame Myra Hess series in the Chicago Cultural Center, and many others. She is currently Head of Piano Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Equally at home with the traditional repertoire and new music, she has designed innovative, interdisciplinary and cross-genre projects, collaborating with celebrated artists such as pianist Aaron Diehl, new media artist Xuan, rock guitarist Yvette Young, and hip-hop artist Suzi Analogue. She was an artist-in-residence at Baryshnikov Arts in 2024.
As a concerto soloist, she has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Long Yu, Carl St. Clair, Josep Caballe Domenech, Grant Llewellyn, Tonu Kalam, Laura Jackson, Jeff Tyzik, and George Jackson. She has soloed with the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Banda Sinfonica Municipal de Madrid, the Eastman Philharmonia, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, among others. In addition, she also frequently collaborates with living composers: She performed alongside Philip Glass, and she gave the world premiere of renowned composer Chen Yi’s piano concerto with the top orchestra in China, the China Philharmonic Orchestra (中国爱乐), in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Yang served on the artistic panel for New Music USA.
Her solo album Folding Time (Albany Records) won a Global Music Awards Gold Medal, and it was selected as one of the Best of 2016 by American Record Guide. Her album Mother Tales (Navona Records) with violinist Sunmi Chang and Grieg and Prokofiev (Albany) with cellist Helen Xiao-Dan Zheng Altenbach have received great reviews from the String Magazine, Pizzicato, and Fanfare. In addition, she has been interviewed by many distinguished publications in China. Her performances were broadcast on major radio stations in the US and abroad. She studied with Nelita True at the Eastman School of Music (DMA), Claude Frank at the Yale School of Music (MM, Artist Diploma), and John Perry at USC Thornton School of Music (BM). Her principal teachers in her pre-college years include Hans Boepple, Guangren Zhou (周广仁), and Huili Li.
PHOTOS
A great pleasure to perform alongside Philip Glass at the Glass at 80 Festival.
It was an unforgettable experience performing as a soloist with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the European Union Youth Orchestra!
Mozart K. 503 with the George Jackson conducting the Winston Salem Symphony (©JFarley)
A great pleasure to perform alongside Philip Glass at the Glass at 80 Festival.
VIDEO
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody (excerpts) Clara Yang piano, Tonu Kalam conductor, UNC Symphony
Mozart K. 503 excerpts, Clara Yang, piano, George Jackson, conductor, Winston Salem Symphony
Shostakovich Concerto No. 2 (excerpt) Clara Yang piano, Tonu Kalam conductor, UNC Symphony
Rachmaninoff Concerto No.1 (III)
Clara Yang - Clinamina for Piano and Electronics by Lee Weisert
Clara Yang - Drones by Stephen Anderson (Official Video)
Phil Young Reflection on a Tang Poem (Clara Yang)
Prokofiev Sonata No. 7 (III)
“She possesses qualities that many of the others don't, particularly her way of incorporating the most difficult technical passages into the ongoing musical discourse and a long view of the music in terms of structure.”
- Fanfare
"She revealed breath-taking technical prowess and keen interpretive insights."
- Classical Voice of North Carolina
SCHEDULE
Schedule is incomplete. Please check back for updates!
October 20, 2024
Amy Beach sonata with flutist Brooks de Wetter-Smith, Binkley Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, NC
November 16, 2024
Jury member, University of Wake Forest Concerto Competition
December 17-19, 2024
Recording for project Ex Machina with Grammy-Award winning recording engineer Matthew Snyder, Moeser Auditorium, UNC-Chapel Hill
January 21, 2025
Jury member, UNC-Greensboro Concert Artist Competition
February 14-15, 2025
Solo recital at the Rutgers PianoFest: John Perry's 90th Birthday Celebration
March 6, 2025
Performance of Hammers on the Moon (two-piano version) by Liliya Ugay, Yale School of Music
March 17, 2025
Solo recital at Yale Club of New York City, NYC
June 11-13, 2025
Jury member, Texas Music Teachers Association Competition, Houston, TX
TEACHING
Dr. Clara Yang is Associate Professor of Piano and Head of Piano Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, a top ranked public university in the US. She has given masterclasses and lectures in many major conservatories and universities, such as King's College London, the Liceu Conservatory in Spain, the Musical College of the Moscow Conservatory, and the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, etc. Her students have won top awards in international, national, and state competitions. Recently her UNC students won the first prize at the MTNA Stecher Horowitz Two-Piano Competition national finals. Her students have performed in Carnegie Hall and on renowned series such as Carolina Performing Arts, and they have been accepted into top universities and conservatories for graduate studies. Below are comments from UNC students.
UNC Piano Studies on Social Media:
"After four years of teaching, I can easily say that she has been the most impactful professor of my college experience, teaching my far beyond expectation and course subject. She is able to connect with students outside of the classroom, establishing a trust with her students –necessary as learning an instrument can often be a stressful and sensitive practice . In terms of her teaching style, she is positive and honest without being overly complementary. She pushes you and has no problem telling you what you need to improve, but she does so in a way that makes you take ownership for your playing. She suggests improvements while also allowing her students to explore their own ideas about a piece, something I particularly appreciate."
"She is truly dedicated to seeing her students succeed. I gave my first recital this semester, and knowing how nervous I was, Dr. Yang dedicated extra lesson time to make sure I was ready, as well as numerous conversations about managing nerves and the purposes of sharing music. Dr. Yang is able to bring talent out of you that you didn't know you had, and creates an extremely curious and friendly environment in which to do so."
"Dr. Yang is by far one of the most influential professors I've had at UNC. Having studied with her for four years, I've felt that I have grown tremendously as a musician. Lessons are productive, mentally engaging, and simply fun. She brings insightful and effective feedback, incorporating multiple aspects from techniques for practicing technically difficult sections, relating theory and structure to style and muscality, to even abstract philosophical discussions about the value of music and the emotions it can evoke. Her teaching style is encouraging, friendly, and relatable--inspiring, yet rarely intimidating. In giving suggestions and criticism, she is always clear and never demeaning or dismissive. Dr. Yang is a fantastic teacher and has been a huge factor in my success and enjoyment studying at UNC."
"Dr. Yang is hands down the best piano teacher I have had. She is excellent at both being critical and encouraging about your work. She's a teacher you want to do well for just because you respect her so much. "
"You have been such an amazing teacher, friend, and inspiration these past two years. Words can't express how thankful I am!"
"I just want to thank you for being an amazing teacher the last few years. I would not be where I am as a pianist now without your guidance and persistence."
"This year, I auditioned for and got an MIT Emerson Music Fellowship which funded my private lessons at U. Mass. Boston. As part of the fellowship, I recently gave a solo recital featuring Bartok's Sonata BB 88, Scriabin 9, and Beethoven Op.111. I will also give a recital of Beethoven "les Adieux" for my graduate house in a couple of weeks.
I have to thank you for everything you taught me in my final semester at UNC. Focusing on producing a good sound and especially attuning my ears for it has been invaluable in adjusting to new pianos and halls. I am constantly complimented on my piano touch by the faculty here. The painstaking work on the first movement of Prokofiev 7 definitely changed my mindset in learning and practicing difficult music and made this year's ambitious program possible."
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