Andrew J. Yang

Undrabarn, sem nær að fanga tilfinningaskalann frá hinum dýpsta kjarna til tilkomumikilla flugeldasýninga – The San Francisco Examiner

Hæfileikaríkur og einlægur píanóleikari - sannur listamaður – Ruth Slenczynska, lifandi goðsögn og fyrrum nemandi Rachmaninoff

"Leikur hans var öruggur og nákvæmur, fullur af tilfinningum og hápunktarnir í tónlistinni voru magnaðir. Smágerð blæbrigði voru fallega útfærð, áslátturinn var fágaður, allt að því draumkenndur; akkúrat eins og hann átti að vera." Jónas Sen, Fréttablaðið

Andrew J. Yang er fæddur og uppalinn í Kaliforníu og útskrifaðist með B.A. í hagfræði og B.M. í píanóleik frá Northwestern háskólanum í Illinois árið 2015 og mastersgráðu í píanóleik frá Mannes tónlistarskólanum í New York árið 2017 og hlaut hann Steinway & Sons verðlaunin, sem veitt eru framúrskarandi útskriftarnema. Meðal kennara hans má nefna hinn virta William Wellborn, Antoinette Perry, Dang Thai Son, og Ruth Slenczynska. Hann fluttist til Patreksfjarðar fyrir fjórum árum og hefur síðan þá verið áberandi í íslensku tónlistarlífi og vakið athygli sem einn af áhugaverðari píanóleikurum landsins. Andrew hefur komið fram á tónleikum víða um heim m.a. í Carnegie Hall í New York, Auditorium Marcel Landowski í París, Musiikkitalo í Helsinki, Menningarsetri gyðinga í Kraká, Mozarthaus í Vínarborg, Hoheikan í Sapporo Japan, og tónleikasölum í Llanes og Ribadesella á Spáni. Hann hefur hlotið verðlaun og viðurkenningar í fjölmörgum alþjóðlegum píanókeppnum, m.a. hlaut hann fyrstu verðlaun í Alþjóðlegu FLAME píanókeppninni í París árið 2019 en af öðrum píanókeppnum þar sem hann hefur unnið til verðlauna má nefna Euregio Piano Award keppnina í Þýskalandi, Metropolitan keppnina í New York, Heida Hermanns keppnina í Connecticut, Thaviu-Isaac í Chicago, Franz Liszt keppnina í Los Angeles. Andrew er stofnandi og listrænn stjórnandi Alþjóðlegu píanóhátíðar Vestfjarða og hlaut sú hátíð hvatningarverðlaun Eyrarrósarinnar árið 2023. Árið 2018 veitti forseti Finnlands honum heiðursverðlaunin Hvítu rósina, fyrir framúrskarandi tónlistarflutning. Andrew J. Yang er fyrrverandi keppnismaður í íþróttum eins og badminton, körfubolta og boxi. Hann býr núna á höfuðborgarsvæðinu og kennir við Tónskólann í Reykjavík og Tónskóla Sigursveins.

Frekari upplýsingar má finna á www.andrewyangpiano.com.

Deemed a “gifted, sincere musician and serious artist” by the legendary pianist Ruth Slenczynska (last living student of Sergei Rachmaninoff) and “a prodigy, [running] the emotional gamut from brooding introspection to manic exuberance” (San Francisco Examiner), American-Icelandic pianist and composer Andrew J. Yang has an active international performance career across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Born and raised in California, Yang grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2020, he indefinitely moved to Iceland, where he has established himself as one of the most promising musicians in the country. For three years, Yang resided in Patreksfjörður, a beautiful small village of seven hundred inhabitants in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. After a successful debut at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Fréttablaðið, remarked: “Yang’s playing was full of emotion with amazing musical high points. Small nuances were beautifully executed, and the keystrokes were refined and even dreamy.” Yang is the founder and artistic director of the International Westfjords Piano Festival and Reykjavík Pianofest.

 Yang won top prizes at the 30th International FLAME Piano Competition (Paris) and the 5th Metropolitan International Piano Competition (New York City). Yang has also received awards from the Los Angeles International Liszt Piano Competition, Thaviu-Issac Piano Competition, and the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition, and was a semifinalist at the Schimmel International Competition (Germany) and Campillos International Piano Competition in Spain. Yang has received the Eyrarrósin Encouragement Award from First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, and a “White Rose” Medal of Honor for musical excellence from President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö. Recent concerts include solo recitals at the Mozarthaus in Vienna, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Judaica Foundation in Krakow, and the Hoheikan in Sapporo. Yang has performed at most of the major New York venues including Carnegie Hall, Victor Borge Hall, and the Museum of Modern Art. He has also played extensively across Canada, including at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Centre d'arts Orford, and venues across British Columbia. Yang has also been invited to major festivals around the world including Gijon International Piano Festival in Spain, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Florida, Austria International Piano Festival and Seminar, Krakow Piano Summer in Poland, Paderewski Piano Festival in Raleigh, Mannes Sounds Festival in New York City and Menningarnótt in Reykjavik. 

 Extensive musical inspiration came from the late Dr. William Wellborn, with whom Yang studied and was mentored by from childhood in 2007 until his passing in 2023. Other teachers and mentors include Antoinette Perry, Ruth Slenczynska, Adam Wibrowski, James Giles, Dang Thai Son, and Robert McDonald. Yang received both a B.A. in Economics and B.M. in Piano Performance from Northwestern University. Upon graduation with an M.M. in Piano Performance from Mannes School of Music, he received the Steinway & Sons Award, a distinction given to the most outstanding graduating pianist. Yang then spent three years as a full-tuition scholarship D.M.A. doctoral student at USC Thornton School of Music (concurrently with living in Patreksfjörður), where also taught undergraduate and graduate piano major students as one of the two chosen Studio T.A.’s. Yang has given master classes for Krakow Piano Summer in Poland, Vancouver, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and music schools across Iceland.  

Yang became interested in composition while living in Patreksfjörður. He has composed several compositions, most recently in 2025 finishing a set of three pieces titled Vestfirðir (Westfjords), which include Intermezzo in A minor, op. 2, Impromptu in F# minor: Never Let me Go, op. 3, and Um Miðjan Vetur, op. 4. These pieces will be premiered across Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, the United States, Netherlands, and Germany in the coming seasons.

 A former competitive athlete in badminton, track & field, and basketball, Yang also pursued an amateur boxing career, training out of the legendary John's Boxing Gym in the Bronx, NY. He trained mixed martial arts (MMA) under head coach Justen Hamilton at Modern Martial Arts in Pasadena, California. Yang also composes, plays violin and guitar and is passionate about creating other genres of music. Yang is currently on the piano faculty at Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík and Tónskóli Sigursveins.