HOU YIYANG

Hou Yiyang is currently a full scholarship student at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Ms.Ida Kavafian and Mr. Benjamin Beilman. She has performed in Shanghai Concert Hall, Concert Hall of the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA)，Lincoln Center , Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert. Hall, Oriental Art Center Concert Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Suzhou Jinji Lake Concert Hall, Guiyang Grand Theatre, Ningbo Grand Theatre, Ningbo Concert Hall, Warner Concert Hall, Oberlin, Kennett Square Longwood Garden, Yavapai College performing center Concert Hall, Santa Barbara Grand Theatre, the United States of America Davis Grand Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Zhengzhou Grand Theatre, Chengdu Concert Hall etc. She has performed as a soloist with the Polish Emmanuel Chamber Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra, the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra and other top tier orchestras, and her collaborations with conductors have included Philadelphia Orchestra Director Yannick Nezet-seguin, Tang Mu Hai, Anna Duczmal-Mroz, Nic McMegan, Teddy Ambras, and Grammy winner Osmo Vanska, among others. Elected Principal Second Violin of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18, she performed with the CSO (curtis symphony orchestra) in the 2022-2023 season with maestro yannick nezet-seguin, Michael Stern and others. In 2025, she gave her first recital tour in China, performing the complete Brahms Violin Sonatas, which achieved great success.She began her violin studies at the age of 6 under the tutelage of Mr. Wang Baihong, at the age of 9 she was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Primary School under the tutelage of Ms. Fang Lei and Ms. Zhou Ming'en, at the age of 17 she was admitted to the undergraduate program at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Was there a specific moment or experience that made you realize you wanted to become a musician?

1.There are so many reasons why I want to be a musician. There's the moment when a listener tells me that my music brings strength and sunshine to her gray days, and I think isn't that what we play music for, that it heals everything. There's also the blissful moment of being in the spotlight with fellow musicians and enjoying the applause. There are countless great pieces to dig through, conversations that go back thousands of years. There is also the ability to express your inner emotions through music, it's all so amazing. I'm so happy to be here in this world of music and to have met so many wonderful people！

When you perform,what do you hope to communicate or make the audience feel?

As a classical violinist, my artistic journey is deeply rooted in the belief that music is a living dialogue—between composer and performer, and ultimately, artist and audience. I strive to bring emotional honesty, technical excellence, and cultural depth into every performance I give. Music for me is the most innocent and powerful language, it can be sincere, sweet, painful, shocking, regretful, etc. it has a magic power that is more shocking than words. I hope to be able to achieve soulful communication with the audience through my performance, I believe that music has the power to transcend language and borders. It can comfort, inspire, and unite. In each recital or orchestral performance, I hope to offer listeners not only technical brilliance but also a sense of emotional connection and shared humanity.

If you had to present yourself by playing a single piece from the entire repertoire,which one would you choose,and why?

I would choose any of Paganini's works. They are for me both full of virtuosity and a stirring musicality that makes them ultimately very enjoyable to play!