CLARA
Yang
PIANIST
BIOGRAPHY
Praised for her “breathtaking technical prowess” (Cultural Voice of North Carolina) and “probing emotional depth and daring individuality” (Peninsula Reviews), Chinese-American pianist Clara Yang has performed on some of the world’s leading stages, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), and the National Auditorium of Music (Madrid). Featured on prestigious concert series such as Carolina Performing Arts and Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, she connects with audiences by creating deep emotional experiences through her musical storytelling.
She has appeared as soloist under the baton of distinguished conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Long Yu (余隆), Carl St. Clair, Josep Caballé Domenech, George Jackson, Laura Jackson, Tõnu Kalam, Grant Llewellyn, and Jeff Tyzik, with renowned orchestras such as the European Union Youth Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Madrid, Pacific Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony.
Yang is equally at home in the classical canon, new music, and interdisciplinary work. Known for her bold artistic vision, she has collaborated across genres with luminaries including pianist Aaron Diehl, new media artist Xuan, rock guitarist Yvette Young, and hip-hop artist Suzi Analogue. In 2024, she was named an Artist-in-Residence at the renowned Baryshnikov Arts for her multimedia project Ex Machina. A champion of new music, she performed alongside Philip Glass, Timo Andres, and other distinguished artists in The Complete Philip Glass Piano Etudes concert produced by Pomegranate Arts. She also gave the world and U.S. premieres of Chen Yi’s Piano Concerto Four Spirits—written for her—with the China Philharmonic Orchestra (中国爱乐) at the Forbidden Concert Hall in Beijing and on Carolina Performing Arts.
Her recordings have received critical acclaim and international media coverage. Her solo album Folding Time (Albany Records) was awarded a Global Music Awards Gold Medal and named one of the Best of 2016 by American Record Guide. Her collaborative albums—Mother Tales (Navona Records), with violinist Sunmi Chang, and Grieg and Prokofiev (Albany Records), with cellist Helen Xiao-Dan Zheng Altenbach—have been praised by Strings Magazine, Pizzicato, and Fanfare. Her performances have been broadcast worldwide, and she has been profiled by major media outlets and publications in both the United States and China. She was a national reviewer for the renowned YoungArts organization and served on the Artistic Panel for New Music USA.
Yang currently serves as the Head of Keyboard Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a DMA from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Nelita True; an Artist Diploma and MM from the Yale School of Music, under Claude Frank; and a BM from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she studied with John Perry. Her precollege mentors include Hans Boepple, Zhou Guangren (周广仁), and Li Huili.
MEDIA
Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1 with additions by Busoni and Clara Yang
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)
A great pleasure to perform complete Glass etudes alongside Philip Glass and other renowned artists!
It was an unforgettable experience performing as a soloist with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the European Union Youth Orchestra!
Cello-piano duo concert with cellist Helen (Xiao-Dan) Z. Altenbach in the Le Petit Trianon in San Jose, CA.
A great pleasure to perform complete Glass etudes alongside Philip Glass and other renowned artists!
“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."
- Cultural Voice of North Carolina
SCHEDULE
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
"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."
“Dr. Yang made sure that every student was able to express themselves, through music without feeling judged, or being uncomfortable, making it possible for us to learn how to interpret music in our own individual way.”
First prize winners at the MTNA Stecher and Horowitz Two Piano Competition National Finals
"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."
"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 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. "
Dr. Clara Yang is Associate Professor of Piano and Head of Keyboard Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.. A committed educator and mentor, Dr. Yang has presented masterclasses, lectures, and coaching sessions at leading institutions and festivals across the globe, including the China Conservatory of Music, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory’s Musical College, King’s College London, Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona, and the Southeastern Piano Festival. She has been a jury member for major competitions such as the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition and the prestigious YoungArts National Competition. Her students have won top awards in notable competitions, including first prize at the MTNA Stecher and Horowitz Two-Piano National Competition, MTNA North Carolina Performance Competition, and the North Carolina Symphony Concerto Competition. Her students have performed in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall (New York) and Konzerthaus (Berlin), and on series such as Carolina Performing Arts. They have been accepted into top universities and conservatories for graduate studies. Here are comments from UNC students.
UNC Piano Studies
"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."
"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."
