Yang Jing

Yang Jing has developed her distinctive musical character based on studies of the ancient pieces of an ancient culture and the most contemporary music of the world. Her versatility and virtuosity allow her to go beyond the limits of a traditional musician to perform many different styles with different formations. Ms. Yang studied pipa and composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under pipa professor Ye Xuran; Composition professor Hu Dengdiao and Chinese music theory professor Lin Youren and pipa professor Lin Shicheng and under pipa professor Wang Fandi in Beijing. Her studies with the Japanese composer Mr. Minoru Miki for several years inspired her interpretation of contemporary music further. For over twelve years Yang Jing was part of the China National Orchestra of Traditional Music. In 1996, she founded the Chinese female quartet "Qing Mei Jing Yue". Since 1998 "Japan Arts" engages her on a regular basis. She has published several highly acclaimed pipa albums and earned a series of awards for performance as well as for her own compositions: 1989: Gold Medal and the "Highest Artist Certificate of Honor" at the 13th World Youth Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea. 1992: Entry in the "Who's Who in Chinese Arts". 1994: First Prize of the China composition competition with "Dance along the Old Silk Road" On her concert tours throughout Asia, Europe and North America she performed in venues like the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, the Golden Hall in Vienna and the St. Louis Opera Theatre. Her pipa solo concert tours "Along the Old Silk Road" contain various repertory has been continued hundreds times around the world. 2000 Cities in Japan take her as a "honored citizen" and 1998 Village Concert Hall in the UK named after her. She premiered Miki's "Pipa Concerto" with the Orchestra Asia in 1997. She also premiered its western symphony orchestra version with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in 1999 at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo (can see reviews below), and then with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Century Orchestra, Machida Philharmonic Orchestra etc.. At the "Last Night of the BBC Proms" in 1999 she premiered Julian Philips' dedicated pipa concerto "Formal Introductions" with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Her performance in the world premiere of Miki’s 7th opera "The Tale of Genji" with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in June 2000 had reviews like "bore much of the musical weight- playing with astonishing facility." (The Washington Post). Maestro Kurt Masur who conducted the premiere of Miki's "Memory of the Earth" expressed his admiration for her skilful part in the piece with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in the Suntory Hall in Tokyo in November 2000. “Yang Jing & Yui Ensemble” took part to the fourth Osaka International Chamber Music Festa by Miki’s “East Ark”, five pieces suite, and received “Folklore Special Prize” in May 2002. Since 1998 Yang Jing had more than thirty solo concerts with Miki’s talking covering manywhere in Japan at the Kioi Hall, Oji Hall etc.. What started as an experiment between two apparently very different musicians, Yang Jing and the Swiss drummer Pierre Favre turned out to be a fruitful amalgamation of spirits in music. In the concert tour of autumn 2000 in Beijing and Shanghai and the succeeding album "Moments" (April 2001) Yang Jing proved again that in her music she hardly knows a limit. Her tour with Arnie Lawrence Jazz Band in China and Israel gives her new experiences. And the duet she played with the legend drummer Max Roach for the Jerusalem Music Festival 2001 draw the joyful moments of creating new music for musicians as well as audiences. Age-old Chinese compositions alternate with present day harmonies in a cycle of ever surprising works. In many solo concerts around the world the audiences deeply impressed by the sounds of her pipa alone – a feat only possible due to her versatility and ingenuity. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.