Violinist Yang Liu is enjoying his life in music-making on stages across the continents. He tours in North America, South America and Asia with world-leading orchestras, Mr. Liu also travels with his wife Olivia as duo Yang and Olivia in concert tours across the United States and Asia, sharing their love, joy and faith through music. An avid advocate of cultural diversity, equality and inclusion via classical music, he is a founder of Yang and Olivia Foundation and Momento Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble of diverse ethnicity and instrumentation.
Yang Liu is the prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, first prize winner of the American Prize in String Performance in 2023, the 2022 Medici International Competition, the 2021 International Artists Award Competition, and China’s 5th National Competition. He made his North American debut in 2002 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing Paganini’s First Violin Concerto. This success was followed by touring engagements with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra; the Odense Symphony Orchestra, Denmark, São Paulo Symphony, Brazil. In the greater Chicago area, he has performed with Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra, Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, Highland Park Strings, North Park Symphony Orchestra and Oak Park Symphony Orchestra. He also completed a 5-city tour in China performing the Butterfly Concerto with Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, as part of the China-US cultural exchange initiated by Secretary of State of the US John Kerry, and chairman of the cultural department of China Mr. Luo. Throughout his career, he has performed in more than 40 countries.
Yang Liu was honored to be featured in a documentary called “String of Heart–Yang Liu” highlighting Yang’s artistic life. This production was aired on CCTV (China Central Television) throughout China, together with his autobiographical book “Performing in Love” which is published in the spring of 2014. In 2017, Mr. Liu performed on China’s most prestigious special New Year TV program in Qingdao, which reached tens of million of viewers. Yang was also a featured performer in Starling’s Emmy Award-winning educational video, Classical Quest. His debut recording, “Song of Nostalgia,” was released to critical acclaim. This recording, along with many of his live performances, is frequently heard on National Public Radio in the USA.
Mr. Liu resides in Chicago with his wife Olivia and two happy boys, he frequently performs and teaches in the Great Wall Music Academy led by his former teacher Kurt Sassmannshaus, the Aspen music festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago classical music radio WFMT, SESC international music festival of Brazil and gives master classes in major universities and music conservatories.
Yang Liu studied with Lin, Yaoji in Beijing, China, then moved to the US in 1998 to study with Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy Delay.
Mr. Liu plays a Guarneri made in 1741 on a generous loan from the Stradivari Society and the Bein & Fushi Rare Violi
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。
Yang Liu’s playing has been praised as “a scorching performance! ” by The New York Times and “…from China, with dazzling talent!” by Washington Post. Yang Liu is the prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, first prize winner of the American Prize in String Performance in 2023, the 2022 Medici International Competition, the 2021 International Artists Award Competition, and China’s 5th National Competition. He has performed as a soloist with world-leading orchestras including Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Danish Royal Odense Philharmonic to name a few. Throughout his career, he has performed in more than 40 countries. His award-winning album “Song of Nostalgia” showcases his virtuosity and musicality. His repertoire ranges from baroque to the most contemporary works, and from Western classical to Eastern traditional. An avid advocate of cultural exchange via classical music, he founded the Yang and Olivia Arts Foundation and Momento Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble of diverse ethnicity and instrumentation.
Born in Qingdao, China, Yang studied in Central Conservatory with Professor Yaoji Lin in Beijing China and College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati with Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy Delay. Under the extraordinary ability immigration program, Mr. Liu became an American citizen in 2014.