Yue Qian, Violin  

Chinese violinist Yue Qian is a devoted musician who passion lies in conveying emotions through her music and fostering connection among people. She has performed as both a soloist and chamber musician at renowned festival around the world, including the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, International Musician’s Seminar Prussia Cove in the UK, Beijing Modern Festival in China, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Taos School of Music, Music@Menlo, and the Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute in the US. She has worked with artists such as the Brentano Quartet, the Danish Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, Thomas Ades, John Adams, Myung-whun Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Simon Rattle, Clive Greensmith, Frans Helmerson, Shunsuke Sato, Nobuko Imai, and Robert McDonald. Her orchestral experience includes performing with notable ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the NCPA Orchestra in China. 

Yue’s accolades include a silver medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition with the Y Trio, semi-finalist at the 2020 Shanghai Stern International Violin Competition, and winning the University of Southern California Concerto Competition. Her rendition of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.4 with the USC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Carl St. Clair, was chosen to broadcast on KUSC, Southern California’s largest classical music radio station. She is also a member of the Beijing Contemporary Soloists, dedicated to promoting modern composition, and has released the CD “Jade” under NAXOS China with the ensemble, celebrating the voices of contemporary Chinese composers. 

Beyond endeavors on concert stages, Yue also finds much joy and fulfillment in teaching and community engagement, advocating for inclusive musical experiences. With Midori, she oversaw numerous outreach events in the historically underrepresented communities in Los Angeles, Mexico, and Sri Lanka. Recently, Yue served as an artist faculty at the Classical Music Institute 210 Festival in San Antonio, Texas, and held masterclasses at Cal States University Long Beach. She has instructed for the music minor program at USC, and coached chamber music at the Colburn School CSPA. She is currently on the violin and chamber music faculty at the Tianjin Juilliard School Pre-College. 

Yue’s musical journey began at the age of five. Her early education included Shanghai Conservatory Middle School with Madame Binyou Zhou, and later, Interlochen Arts Academy with Yuri Namkung. She pursued her undergraduate and doctorate degrees at USC, with a master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Her mentors include Midori Goto, Ronald Copes, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Bing Wang. During her time at USC, Yue also delved into baroque music and viola performance under the guidance of Adam and Rotem Gilbert, Andrew McIntosh, and Yura Lee. The guidance and nurture from her mentors have instilled in Yue a deep love for learning and sharing, which resonates throughout her musical endeavors. She cherishes their lasting influence with a heart full of gratitude.  

Yue currently performs on a 1731 Carlo Antonio Restore, on generous loan from the Ravinia Steans Music Institute.