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"Plays classical violin with the charisma of a rockstar"

- THE BOSTON GLOBE

RECENT NEWS

2023
GRAMMY AWARD 
WINNER

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BIOGRAPHY

GRAMMY Award-winning artist and recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award, Charles Yang has been described by The Boston Globe as one who "plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star.” The Juilliard graduate began his violin studies with his mother, Sha Zhu, in Austin, Texas, and has since studied with world-renowned pedagogues Kurt Sassmanshaus, Paul Kantor, Brian Lewis and Glenn Dicterow. He has performed as soloist with orchestras and in concert throughout the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China and Taiwan.  On June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own "Charles Yang Day.” In 2016 Mr. Yang joined the multi-genre string-band Time for Three as violinist and lead singer.

Not only confined to classical styles, Mr. Yang's improvisational crossover abilities as a violinist, electric violinist, and vocalist have led him to featured performances at festivals including The Aspen Music Festival, The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, The Ravinia Festival, Caramoor, Interlochen, The YouTube Music Awards, TED, and Google Zeitgeist. He has performed at some of the world’s most celebrated venues such as Carnegie Hall, Musikverein, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Rudolfinum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royal Danish Theatre, Joe’s Pub, ACL Live, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Forbidden City in Beijing, among many others. He has performed in the presence of two former US Presidents, the Queen of Denmark, and has shared the stage in collaborations with artists including Peter Dugan, Michael Thurber and CDZA, Steve Miller, Jesse Colin Young, Joshua Bell, Jake Shimabukuro, Ray Benson, Savion Glover, Twyla Tharp, Misty Copeland and Jon Batiste.

An adventurous composer, arranger, songwriter and collaborator, Mr. Yang’s works have been featured in projects for Glamour and Pentagram. In 2021 he co-wrote the original score to Robin Wright’s 2021 feature film, Land.  Time for Three’s album, “Letters for the Future” with Xian Zhang and The Philadelphia Orchestra featuring concertos written by Kevin Puts and Jennifer Higdon, won the 2023 GRAMMY award for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo.”

Mr. Yang’s career has been followed by various news media including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Austin Chronicle and The Strad. He is also featured in Nick Romeo's book, Driven as well as Discovery Channel's Curiosity.

Of note, The Texas Observer stated, “Mr. Yang is a true crossover artist, a pioneer who can hop between classical and popular music and bring fresh ideas to fans of both genres. Rather than maintaining an insular focus and simply assuming that an audience for classical music will always exist, he wants to actively create that audience, to persuade and seduce others into enjoying a type of music as passionately as he does.”

Charles Yang performs on the 1854 “ex-Soil” J.B. Vuillaume.

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RECENT
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KRIS BOWERS
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"...as adept at improvising blues on his fiddle as carving out note-perfect classical."

THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

CONCERTS

Concerts

5/14

BRICKBOX THEATER

Time for Three

Wednesday May 14 2025 7:30 PM

Brickbox Theater
Jean McDonough Arts Center
20 Franklin St, Worcester, MA 01608

5/23

UTAH SYMPHONY

Kris Bowers Concerto

with Markus Poschner and the Utah Symphony

Friday May 23 2025 7:30 PM

Abravanel Hall,

123 W South Temple,

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

5/24

UTAH SYMPHONY

Kris Bowers Concerto

with Markus Poschner and the Utah Symphony

Saturday May 24 2025 7:30 PM

Abravanel Hall,

123 W South Temple,

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

6/20

OACADEMY

Kris Bowers Concerto

with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the OAcademy Orchestra

Friday June 20 2025 

Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey

Monterrey, Mexico

6/28

BREVARD

Time for Three

Mason Bates' "Silicon Hymnal" with Keith Lockhart and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra

Saturday June 28 2025 7:30 PM

Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium
349 Andante Ln,

Brevard, NC 28712

7/1

BRAVO! VAIL

Kris Bowers Concerto

with Carlos Miguel Prieto and the

Dallas Symphony

Tuesday July 1 2025 6:00 PM

Gerald R. Ford Ampitheater

S Frontage Rd E,

Vail, CO 81657

7/5

SHANGHAI SYMPHONY

Time for Three

Kevin Puts' "Contact" with Jin Yukuang and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

Saturday July 5 2025 7:30 PM

Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall
Shanghai, China

7/10

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL

Time for Three

Thursday July 10 2025 6:00 PM

Grand Teton Music Festival
Walk Festival Hall
3330 Cody Ln, Teton Village, WY 83025

7/11

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL

Time for Three

Kevin Puts' "Contact" with Kevin John Edusei and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra

Friday July 11 2025 7:00 PM

Grand Teton Music Festival
Walk Festival Hall
3330 Cody Ln, Teton Village, WY 83025

7/12

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL

Time for Three

Kevin Puts' "Contact" with Kevin John Edusei and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra

Saturday July 12 2025 6:00 PM

Grand Teton Music Festival
Walk Festival Hall
3330 Cody Ln, Teton Village, WY 83025

7/23

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

Time for Three

Mason Bates' "Silicon Hymnal" with Robert Moody and the

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Wednesday July 23 2025 7:30 PM

Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness Ave,

San Francisco, CA 94102

7/25

CHAMBERFEST CANANDAIGUA

Time for Three

Friday July 25 2025 7:30 PM

Nazareth Arts Center
4245 East Ave,

Rochester, NY 14618

7/26

CHAUTAUQUA

Time for Three

Kevin Puts' "Contact" with Rossen Milanov and the Chautauqua Symphony

Saturday July 26 2025 7:30 PM

Chautauqua Amphitheater
31 Roberts Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722

8/4

SUN VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Time for Three

Mason Bates' "Silicon Hymnal" with Alasdair Neale and the

Sun Valley Festival Orchestra

Monday August 4 2025 6:30 PM

Sun Valley Pavilion

300 Dollar Rd,

Sun Valley, ID 83353

8/14

BREGENZ FESTIVAL

Emily-No Prisoner Be

 

Premiere of Kevin Puts'

"Emily-No Prisoner Be" with

Joyce DiDonato and Time for Three

Thursday August 14 2025 8:00 PM

Werkstattbühne

Bregenz, Austria

8/16

BREGENZ FESTIVAL

Emily-No Prisoner Be

 

Premiere of Kevin Puts'

"Emily-No Prisoner Be" with

Joyce DiDonato and Time for Three

Saturday August 16 2025 8:00 PM

Werkstattbühne

Bregenz, Austria

8/21

SPAC

Time for Three

Mason Bates' "Silicon Hymnal" with Teddy Abrams and

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Thursday August 21 2025 7:30 PM

Amphitheater -

Saratoga Performing Arts Center
108 Avenue of the Pines,

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

8/22

THE BOSTON POPS

Time for Three

with Keith Lockhart and

The Boston Pops

Friday August 22 2025 8:00 PM

Koussevitzky Music Shed
297 West St,

Lenox, MA 01240

MEDIA

Media

"...crystalline yet muscular playing."

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

"...excellent soloist"

THE NEW YORK TIMES

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