Yang Ying
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"Jimmi Hendrix of the Erhu"
- is what a fan wrote after Ying's recent appearance on Chicago PBS Channel WTTW-11's Chicago Tonight program.
Bio
Yang Ying (last name first, in keeping with Chinese custom) is the former longtime erhu soloist for the premier traditional song and dance ensemble in China and the founder, bass player, and lead singer for COBRA, the first all-female rock band in China.
As an erhu soloist Ying routinely played in concert halls throughout Asia, often for Heads of State. Now in America, Ying is pursuing a dual path in music composition. Her CD Blurring Boundaries - Erhu Excursions contains her own compositions that are a fusion of many different styles of Chinese and western music, her own arrangements of traditional, signature pieces for the erhu, and a cover of the jazz classic 'Round Midnight (an exceptionally beautiful tune played on the erhu - unfortunately, we can't include it in the song list above because it was not written by Ying). She is also interested in healing qualities of music, the subject of her CD Elixir - Music for Moving and Still Meditation.
Select Recent Performances
This summer Ying was a featured performer at the Riverfolk Music and Arts Festival near Ann Arbor. After Ying's recent performance on PBS Channel WTTW -11's live production of Centerstage, she was then invited to be a featured artist on Chicago Tonight.
Ying's band has played at Park West in Chicago, where she also accompanied Michael Franti on stage. Ying also joined Aaron and Charles Neville at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts (her performance with Aaron Neville on "Aint No Sunshine" was rated by at least one fan as the musical highlight of the year in Bloomington). You can check Ying out joining Charles Neville on stage at the Blue Note in Manhattan in November for some unique Asian flavored jazz.
Press Quotes
"Ying's virtuosity goes beyond impressive technical achievement . . . the expressive power of her playing truly transcends any challenges that might exist for an audience to experience an unfamiliar instrument . . . the audience was deeply moved by her performance."
- Chicago PBS Channel WTTW-11 Producer Dan Andries
Contests/Events
