Raised in a non-musical family in China, Yao’s passion for music was spawned when she began playing violin at the age of five. A few years later, at the age of eight, Yao was accepted into the Wuhan Conservatory and won first prize in the forth Youth violin competition of Hubei Province later that same year. At this moment, feeding off the high of her accomplishment, Yao made the life-changing choice to follow a career path as a professional violinist.
The subsequent years of study as a violinist yielded tremendous success, such as winning the Excellent Instrumental Performance Awards and Scholarships while studying at the Affiliated High School of China Conservatory of Music in Beijing from 2005 to 2010.
Whilst studying under the tutelage of Federico Agostini at Eastman, she gave frequent performances in orchestras, recitals, masterclasses and chamber groups, as well as outside of the school. Among her expansive experience as a student at top music schools and under well-known instructors such as David Zinman, Neil Varon, Miriam Fried, and the members from the Ying Quartet. Yao has also played alongside Renée Fleming in the Alice Tully Hall Lincoln Center in New York City.
She is a currently studying at the Eastman School of Music studying with Professor Oleh Krysa. She has also studied with Professor Bin Huang during the first half of her graduate program. Known for her charm and spontaneity on the stage, Yao’s musical instincts, accuracy of intonation, create a virtuosity of beautiful rhythmic sound that leaves an impression on audiences.
But Yao’s drive to maximize her musical gifts stems from something deeper than a mere love for the art form. Over the past twenty years, Yao’s path has been marred by adversity and challenges that brought her to the brink of giving up. But like any high achiever, Yao embraced her struggles and pushed herself to overcome the obstacles. Not to mention, the role of educators played an invaluable role in helping her overcome her struggles, which, at one point, lead her into a deep depression. In this way, through the help of the teachers around her, Yao not only rose up from the weight of her struggles to become a better violinist, but she also developed a passion for becoming a music teacher herself. Her philosophy as a music instructor is to ameliorate the learning process for students by helping them find the most efficient way to learn how to play the violin.
The path to success is any endeavour is usually filled with hurdles, failures and struggle. No stranger to this reality, Yao has used her adversities to become a more refined musician and, more importantly, a more refined and person with a strong character. As the violin is an instrument for musical expression, Yao’s passion for music is an expression of her character and personality. When she performs on stage, audiences feel tethered to the rhythm of her music and get lost in the waves of serenity that flow from her innate musical instincts, thereby creating a luscious sound that connects with every nerve and impulse of each audience member.
Reviews of her performances quote audiences saying, “wow.” Or sometimes they even say it backwards, “wow.” But irregardless of the words audiences use to express how enamoured they were with the performance, the rhythmic sound of her performance is left with audiences even after it has ended.
Indeed, the violin is more than an instrument. It is a beacon through which Yao can show her true self through each stroke of the strings. For Yao, the time is now.