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。 在2022年荣获 国际艺术家大奖赛的头奖。并被被纽约时报及华盛顿邮报称为：“…一个年轻而杰出的小提琴家… 有着让人惊叹的技巧，强烈的音乐说服力以及深刻的洞察力！”
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，并多次率欧美乐团在中国巡回演出。刘扬最近的音乐教育活动包括在芝加哥拉维尼亚音 乐节，阿斯本音月节，葡萄牙国际音乐节， 巴西国际音乐节，北京长城国际音乐节和美国芝加哥 大学等高等学府演奏并讲授的大师课。与美国亚特兰大交响乐团，辛辛纳提交响乐团，圣路易斯 交响乐团等合作演出并实况录音，多次在美国国家广播电台NPR纪录播出。
少年时期，刘扬曾在中国全国第五届小提琴比赛中获第一名和中国作品最佳演奏两项头奖，并是第十二届柴科夫斯基国际小提琴比赛获奖者。
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，以一首“流浪者之歌”征服日本听众，被誉为“来自中国的天才”。经著名小提琴教育大师林耀基教授（已故）悉心栽培，在学期间先后与中央乐团（现国家交响乐团），上海交响乐团，中国歌剧舞剧院，香港交响乐团等多次合作演出。
在林耀基先生的帮助下，98年赴美国辛辛纳提音乐学院继续求学深造，获该院一百年来破例 颁发的研究生奖学金，师从科特.萨斯曼丝豪斯Kurt.Sassmannshaus，并受到美国最具影响力的 小提琴教育家—桃乐丝.迪蕾Dorothy.Delay 女士的特别赏识（曾培养了著名小提琴家帕尔曼等）而 收为弟子。
在美国录制的名为“思乡曲-Song of nostalgia”的独奏CD唱片包括东西方的经典小品，室内乐 经典作品唱片以及协奏曲等目前在美国出版发行。他在美国参与演奏制作的小提琴教育影片“追 求经典”获得美国‘艾米’最佳教育影片奖。
刘扬自2004年起曾出任多所大学的小提琴教授／客座教授，包括芝加哥罗斯福大学，芝加哥 哥伦比亚大学，辛辛那提大学音乐学院。与钢琴家夫人蔡宜璇博士现居住美国芝加哥，长期在美 国合作举行独奏音乐会，在最近举行横跨美国24个州的大型巡演。他的经济人为Price Rubin and Partners。刘扬使用的小提琴是1741年的瓜奈利 ，由美国斯特拉迪瓦立协会赞助提供。
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.