Shanshan Yang
Shanshan Yang is one of the most outstanding pianists in China, a Yamaha artist, and Associate Professor of Central Conservatory of Music.
Originally from Nanjing, Yang began piano under Professor Wu Ying in Shanghai Conservatory, where she finished her primary and secondary education. In 2001 she went to Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she achieved her master’s degree in piano performance and studied under renowned pianist Daniel Blumenthal, former Jury President at the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition.
In 2000 on behalf of the Chinese delegation she participated in the 14th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. In 2003 she won the first prize in Andre Dumortier International Piano Competition in France. The jury president and German pianist W. Denis praised her performance as “lyrical”, and in concertos “achieved a perfect balance between technique and inner expression, without which the emotion cannot be created.” Yang was also the first prize winner in 2003 Excellentia International Piano Competition in Belgium. In the same year, she collaborated with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia to perform Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27. According to Chapelle Musicale, a local newspaper in Belgium, “this pianist from China [Yang] successfully interpreted the radiance and nuances of Mozart in a brilliant way. Her cooperation with Phillip Gard could be regarded as the best combination of grace and talent.”
In 2010 she received the Hollywood Golden Key Honor.
In August 2011, in celebration of Chopin’s 200th Birthday, she was invited to give performance of Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor in Austria.
Yang has been playing an active role on today’s music stage. She has given concert tours across the globe, including Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Pasadena Civic Auditorium and Elbe Philharmonic Hall of Hamburg, The Concert Hall of Jiaming in Austria. She also held solo concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Her albums include Piano Recital 《如此珊琴》, Concert Live in Berlin Philharmonic Hall and Impression of Black & White 《黑白印象》 (piano duo recital with pianist He Zhu).
As a specialist in Chopin, Yang has established her unique interpretation, which was largely due to her influence from great Asian masters such as Fou Ts’ong, Dang Tai Son and Lee Kum-Sing, to name a few. In August 2015 she made a new record for Chopin’s 24 Preludes in Tokyo, Japan.
Besides piano performing, Yang is a successful pedagogue. She has received the “Best Teaching Award” for a variety of competitions, including the 9th International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz (2011), “The Conservatory Cup” and “Yamaha Annual Scholarship”, etc. In recent years she also held open class and concerts with her students. In 2011 and 2014 she was invited twice as the judge for highly-acclaimed CCTV Piano Competition (professional group) in China.