Yelian He (Chinese: 何烨联 | Mandarin: hé yè lián) is an Australian/Chinese classical concert cellist and martial arts teacher. Born in Shanghai, China, and raised in Melbourne, Australia, he began studying the cello at the age of five, almost two years after he commenced studies on the piano with his father. He was hailed as a "consummate master of the bow" by The Strad magazine on his Wigmore Hall debut,[1] He was the winner of the 2009 Royal Over-Seas League String Competition in London,[2] as well as the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Australian Cello Awards competition in Sydney.
Yelian He 何烨联 | |
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![]() Yelian in 2014 at St. John's, Smith Square, London | |
Background information | |
Born | Shanghai, China |
Genres | Classical |
Occupation(s) | Musician, martial artist |
Instrument | Cello |
Website | heplayscello |
Yelian He | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 何燁聯 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 何烨联 | ||||||
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Early life
editYelian He was born in Shanghai, China, and emigrated in 1992 with his family to Australia, where he furthered his studies at Scotch College, Melbourne. He graduated with a B.Mus from University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM on an Otti Veit Scholarship, and subsequently relocated to Manchester to study with Karine Georgian at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he graduated with a master's degree in Music.
Career
editIn 2009, He won the string section in the Royal Over-Seas League 57th Annual Music Competition and was the Grand Prize winner in the 2014 Australian Cello Awards, receiving a host of awards in Sydney's Verbrugghen Hall.[3][4][5] He has given recitals and performances at Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John's, Smith Square, Bridgewater Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall, Hamer Hall, Perth Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Oriental Arts Centre, Forbidden City Concert Hall, Wuxi Grand Theatre, Wuhan QinTai Concert Hall. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra,[6][7] West Australian Symphony Orchestra,[8][9] and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.[10]
His first CD, Y2: Music for Cello & Piano, was released by Willowhayne Records (UK) and featured works by Svante Henryson and Nikolai Kapustin among other works. The release was praised by the composer Henryson, who has stated: "Yelian He plays On A Day Like This and Black Run with all the passion, energy and technical mastery that I as a composer could wish for. It is a joy to hear his versions."[11]
He regularly gives masterclasses in UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Awards
edit- Tait Memorial Trust Award (2007, 2009)
- Australian Music Foundation Award (2009)
- Tunnell Trust Award (2012)[12]
- Kirckman Concert Society Award (2013)
- City Music Foundation Artist (2014)[13]
In 2011, Yelian He was presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II at a reception for outstanding Australians in the United Kingdom, and again in 2013 in a private performance for the Queen and her Commonwealth guests at Buckingham Palace.
Personal life
editYelian He's nickname is the "Kung Fu Cellist" and he studies Wing Chun Kung Fu with his Sifu in Manchester. He is a part of the Tse Qigong Centre under Grandmaster Ip Chun's lineage (eldest son of the legendary Ip Man, most popularly known from Ip Man (film series) and teacher of Bruce Lee). Since 2019, Yelian started his own Wing Chun classes in Melbourne, where he resides.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ "The Strad 2014". www.scribd.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016.
- ^ Matthews, Gemma. "ROSL Annual Music Competition: Strings Section Final won by Emily Sun, violin". Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Cello Awards". Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ^ "Yelian hits perfect note to end cello challenge". 30 March 2014.
- ^ "Limelight Magazine". Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Sydney Symphony Orchestra - Fathers and Sons". www.sydneysymphony.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Australian Cello Awards". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Commonwealth Gala Concert: West Australian Symphony Orchestra". www.waso.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011.
- ^ "Media Statements - Gala concert celebrates Commonwealth talent". Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Antonín Dvořák: Konzert für Violoncello in h-Moll, op.104". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Y-Squared: Yelian He (cello), Yasmin Rowe (piano)". willowhaynerecords.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Winners 1990 – 2017 – The Tunnell Trust". tunnelltrust.org.uk. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Barrett, Phil (23 July 2018). "Y-Squared". City Music Foundation. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Traditional Ip Man Wing Chun". traditional-ip-man-wing-chun.business.site. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Ho Sifu - Traditional Ip Man Wing Chun". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
Sources
edit- Yelian He official website
- Hancock Artists official website Archived 23 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine