Biography

Xuefei Yang is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists.  She is hailed as a musical pioneer - born in Beijing, she was the first-ever guitarist in China to enter a music school (Beijing’s Central Conservatoire of Music), and became the first Chinese Guitarist to launch an international professional career.  Now based in the UK, she records exclusively for EMI Classics.
 
Fei’s first public appearance was at the age of ten and received such acclaim that the Spanish Ambassador in China immediately presented her with a concert guitar. Her debut in Madrid at the age of 14 was attended by the composer Joaquín Rodrigo and, when John Williams heard her play, he gave two of his own instruments to Beijing’s Central Conservatoire especially for her and other advanced students. She then went on to become the first Chinese student to be awarded a full postgraduate scholarship to study at London’s Royal Academy of Music. In recognition of her distinguished career, Fei was awarded ‘Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music’ in June 2012.

Fei enjoys a truly international career, performing worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician and with leading orchestras.   Her success has led her to be invited to many prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, all Southbank venues, and Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as the Philharmonie Berlin, Musikhalle Hamburg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, Auditorio Nacional de Espana, Carnegie Hall, & Lincoln Center New York and the Herbst Theatre San Francisco. In Asia she has appeared at the National Concert Hall Taipei, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Esplanade Singapore, Seoul Arts Centre and gave the first guitar recital in Beijing National Center of Performing Arts. She performs chamber music regularly and has collaborated with musicians such as Jian Wang, Natalie Clein, Ian Bostridge, Rosalind Plowright and the Elias String Quartet.  Fei is one of the few guitarists who is frequently invited to play with the world’s leading orchestras including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scotland National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, & Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  

Fei’s engagements in the 2012/13 season include performances with the Toledo Symphony, Hangzhou Symphony, Orpheus Sinfonia and the Musikkollegium Wintherthur Orchestra. She gives solo recitals throughout the UK and in Dallas, Seattle and Minneapolis in the US, and collaborated with Sir James Galway for concerts in China. She has just completed a recording for EMI with Ian Bostridge.

Since Xuefei premiered “Equipoise”by Timothy Salter, commissioned for her by the Park Lane Group, Fei has continued her journey to expand the guitar repertoire, with a particular interest in adding Chinese music to the repertoire.  She has made substantial new contributions to the guitar repertoire, with her own arrangements and by commissioning new compositions.  

Fei records exclusively for EMI Classics.  Her debut album, ‘Romance de Amor’, won a gold disc in Hong Kong & her second, ‘40 Degrees North’, was selected as ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone magazine.  Her third was a concerto album recorded with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eiji Oue, featuring the music of Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez and a new Albeniz Concerto by Stephen Goss commissioned by EMI for Fei.  Her fourth recording, featuring the music of J.S.Bach, was released by EMI in February 2012.

Fei’s musical interests extend beyond the boundaries of classical music.  She has had a wide range of successful collaborations with artists in other fields, including : pop musicians John Miles, & China’s Leo Ku, & Jian Li; cross-over artist David Garrett; and Spanish flamenco dancer Raquel de Luna.

Fei has also appeared on numerous radio and television programmes including BBC Radio 4’s Woman's Hour, the BBC Proms, a BBC documentary ‘The Story of Guitar’, and China Central Television, who made a biographical documentary on Fei.   The UK classical music magazine, Classic FM, named Xuefei as one of the 100 top classical musicians of our time.