Yiyang Zhao, Cello

Yiyang Zhao was born in Beijing, China, in 1989. He studied cello with Zeguang Tu at the age of six. He was admitted to Minzu University of China in 2009 to study with Li Wang and worked as principal cellist in the China Minzu Youth Orchestra. He came to Germany in 2014 after completing his bachelor degree. He studied with Veronika Wilhelm and then Ulf Tischbirek, completing his master’s degree at the Lübeck Music Academy in 2018. After that, he enrolled at Folkwang University of the Arts and studied with Barbara Maurer to specialize in contemporary music. He won the Folkwang Award in 2019 and completed the second master’s degree with a perfect score one year later. As an artist, Yiyang Zhao has always been dedicated to the performance of contemporary music. He has been invited repeatedly to participate in the China Beijing Modern Music Festival and the Now Festival in Essen. At present, he has premiered more than 40 new works and maintained close cooperation with artists in many other contemporary art fields, including painters, photographers, dancers and actors.