Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in F minor, L. 118
Johannes Brahms: 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119
Myung Hwang Park: Les Échoes du Lac Solitaire
Braam van Eeden: Two Miniatures
L.V. Beethoven: Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53
Deemed by The Examiner as “a prodigy, [running] the emotional gamut from brooding introspection to manic exuberance”, 25-year-old American pianist, Andrew Junglin Yang, has recently begun an active performance career across the United States, Europe, and Canada. Recent engagements include performances at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), Victor Borge Hall, Carnegie Hall, Doctorow Center for the Arts, American Yacht Club, German Consulate at U.N., Steinway Hall, Murphy Recital Hall, Finlandia Hall (Finland), St. Bernhard (Austria), Krakow Jewish Cultural Center (Poland), and concert halls in Llanes and Ribadesella (Spain). In 2018, Yang formed Vala-Yáng Duo with his girlfriend, Icelandic pianist Erna Vala; their inaugural performance was presented by the Embassy of Iceland in Helsinki for the annual President’s visit in which both Presidents of Iceland and Finland were honorary guests in attendance.
Most recently, Yang was a finalist in the coveted 2018 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Piano Competition. He has also garnished prizes at numerous other competitions including the Metropolitan International Piano Competition, International Heida Hermanns Piano Competition, Thaviu Issac Piano Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, Evanston Music Club Competition, San Francisco Chopin Competition, and the Menuhin/Dowling Musicians Competition. Regarded by Meinbezirk Newspaper (Austria) as “a young American pianist of special class” following a 2016 recital debut in Weiner Neustadt, Yang continues to receive acclaim for an honest and nuanced approach to music, and an ability to create deep connections with audiences. Julian Dawson, Former Associate Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera said of Yang: “He has a remarkable talent, his innate musical understanding combined with a fine technical facility [gives] him an ability to grasp the essence of each piece.” Audrey Axinn, artist faculty at Mannes and Juilliard, remarks: “[Yang is] a special musician [and] an extremely talented and accomplished pianist. His playing is consistently soulful and poetic; he plays with power and polish”. Yang’s performances have been heard over radio broadcast on WUSF 89.7 and WIOX 93.1, and television broadcast on N1 Neiderosterreich (Austria).
Yang’s most important musical influence and mentor is William Wellborn, whom he studied with at the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division and continues to make monthly trips to San Francisco to study with. Upon graduation with a M.M. in Piano Performance from Mannes School of Music, he received the 2017 Steinway & Sons Award, the top distinction given to an outstanding pianist, which came with a monetary award sponsored by Steinway. Yang previously received a B.A. in Economics and a B.M. in Piano Performance from Northwestern University. He has received numerous scholarships to perform and study at some of the most prestigious summer festivals, including the Austrian International Piano Festival and Seminar, Krakow Piano Summer (Poland), Academy of Fortepiano Performance (Hunter, NY), Gijon International Piano Festival (Spain), Centre d’Arts Orford (Canada), and Banff Centre (Canada). His teachers and mentors include Pavlina Dokovska, Ruth Slenczynska, James Giles, Dang Thai Son, Audrey Axinn, Julian Dawson, and Lorraine Pirro.
Yang is appreciative of the integrity and support of his parents, Jyeshwu and Wenjin. Previously, he pursued an amateur boxing career, training out of the legendary John’s Boxing Gym in the Bronx, NY, with “Shabazz” Lorenzo Sidberry, who has coached IBF World Champions Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko. Yang previously trained M.M.A./Muay Thai with Kru Nestor Marte, who has coached multiple UFC fighters and champions including Anderson Silva and Ulka Sasaki; he was also on the Northwestern Boxing Team (2010-2012), and his high school basketball and badminton teams. In addition, Yang enjoys traveling, reading novels, studying philosophy, and playing guitar and violin for fun. He is currently continuing his studies in the Professional Studies Diploma program at Mannes School of Music from 2017-19, funded by the Mannes President Scholarship Award, Schoenberg Pianists Stipend, and the Peter Gross Fund. Yang is an avid pedagogue and constantly finds fulfillment and inspiration from the brilliant and sensitive students in his private piano studio in New York City. Please visit www.andrewyangpiano.com for more information and concert schedule.
