Meet Zi Yi (Stephanie) Yang | Concert Pianist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zi Yi (Stephanie) Yang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zi Yi (Stephanie), why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Classical music is the core of my life. When my mum first signed me up for piano lessons at the age of four, she specifically told the teacher that becoming a professional pianist was not her dream for me. Her wish was for music to become an expressive tool and outlet for her daughter. Knowing that I was raised in a traditional Chinese family, It was definitely a privilege on my part. I truly enjoy the freedom I have in music; discussing the variety of styles and interpretations in music with my teachers and colleagues always fascinate me. I do not compose music, however I love learning the history behind it, and how sometimes classical music can be an inspiration for other art forms such as visual arts, motion picture arts and dance. I am passionate about my musical career, and I am hoping to share my knowledge in classical music with more people by performing and teaching.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a concert pianist, I perform both classical music and contemporary music by living composers. Performing classical music that I love has always been my dream. Besides concerts I perform at large venues such as Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall, I have also been hosting private musical salon concerts – MUSIKENT at various locations since 2018. MUSIKENT is an experience which provides music, education and engagement. In order to have our audience fully enjoy and understand the music, performers often give a thorough speech that explains the background story, motifs and metaphors about the program of the night. The intimacy in the concert brings our performers and audience closer, as if we are back in the nineteenth century romantic era. Performing contemporary music by living composers is a new passion of mine since I moved to New York in 2016. Learning different experimental ways of playing an instrument and hearing all the abstract ideas and interpretations from the composer himself always fascinate me. In a piece I performed at Steinway Hall, Vancouver called “…as Water” by Yifan Guo last year, the composer created a new type of listening and performance experience, which includes an AI that was coded by him. Called Artificial Organism, the AI is capable of growing new pitches in a watery sense by learning existing sounds, as well as using its own process to adapt, digest, and produce its own sound. “…as Water” is the very first composition which uses such techniques to complement the performer’s playing.
I hope to provide an unique experience and share more diversity in classical music with my audience in every concert I perform.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New York City is one of the most vibrant cities I have lived in, you can always find things to do here at any time and anywhere. We all know the famous NYC landmarks for music concerts such as Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet. But I think what makes NYC unique is the small hidden places, where late night live jazz happens. My personal favorites are: The Smalls and The Django. They both are very old jazz venues which have live jazz music performance till 3AM! But of course I would like to shoutout to the music venue which I am featured in at Columbia University, where I perform and premiere music written by living contemporary composers. Apart from the music, I think what makes NYC unique is the pizza! If you ever wonder what the hype is about, definitely check out Roberta’s and Saraghina Pizzeria, they are places where I miss the most whenever I am away.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout to the high school I attended – Interlochen Center for the Arts and my dearest teacher at the time Dr. Thomas (TJ) Lymenstull. The school and my teacher at the time definitely took a major role in my life when I was choosing my career path. Being able to grow as a musician in such a creative and encouraging environment made me realize playing the piano is not about showing off the great skills and techniques, it is finding out the charms, the difference of tones and colours in music. The passion and encouragement I received there built me who I am today, and I am forever grateful for them.

Website: https://www.yang-stephanie.com/

Instagram: Stephziyi

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTjT0FcHbsU