As a result of a long and debilitating illness, and after five days in hospice, Yang Xi (b.1963) left the stage on the morning of April 12.
His Meredith College teaching bio relates the highlights of his distinguished family and career in music:
“Yang Xi grew up from a legendary musical family in Chengdu, China. His father was a conductor, violinist, and a music educator. His mother was a well known pianist in China and is now a very active piano teacher in Atlanta area in GA. Yang began his musical journey at the age of 7 when his father brought him a half size violin. By the age of 10, he began to perform live on television and radio stations. He made an average of 200 solo performances a year between age 12 and 14. Yang then when he was 15 years old won the national audition to enter the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China where he studied both violin and viola performance. He had his first solo debut with the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra after he won the National Violin Competition in Shanghai at the age of 16.
“Arriving in the United States when he was 20 years old, Yang won a National Strings Competition in Arkansas, performed numerous solo recitals and chamber music concerts, and gave master classes to young string players from many public schools and colleges before he won a scholarship to continue study at Indiana University School of Music under the guidance of James Buswell, Nelli Shkolnikova, Josef Gingold, and Rostislav Dubinsky.
“Later, Yang became the principal violist for the Florida Grand Opera and with the Symphony of the Americas. He performed for two presidents of the United States – Presidents George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton. He collaborated with Pinchas Zukerman, Placido Domingo, Tony Bennett, and Stevie Wonder. He served as judge for international competitions in China and made solo appearances with the China National Symphony Orchestra, the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, the Durham Symphony Orchestra, and the Carolina Philharmonic. He also appeared as guest violist with the Shanghai Quartet.
“Yang’s music career encompassed a large studio while teaching violin and viola at Meredith College in Raleigh. He was also concertmaster of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, principal viola of the Carolina Philharmonic, and artistic director of the Carolina International Orchestra.”
There are more photos at his Facebook page.
“Goldfiddle” – aka “SirDagamba” – was a remarkable man and an exceptional artist who touched the lives of countless musicians and music lovers during his distinguished career. We join his many students, colleagues, and friends around the globe in mourning his loss.
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The obituary published by Brown Wynne provides additional details of his life in music. See https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/raleigh-nc/yang-xi-8247285.
