Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang, based in London, was scheduled for a Zoom call with the Tucson Guitar Society on the first Thursday of the new year to discuss her upcoming recital on Saturday, Jan. 25. However, logistical challenges arose as Yang was in China, and her representative, Neil, was in the UK, leading to a tangled series of time zones and technical difficulties.
The call, intended to connect at 5 p.m. in Tucson and midnight in the UK, quickly became complicated. Despite efforts to establish the connection, including FaceTiming Yang from China, audio issues prevented a smooth conversation. As a result, it was decided that the best course of action would be to conduct the interview via email.
Yang, affectionately known as Fei, has a long history with the Tucson classical guitar community. She first performed in the city in 2008 and returned in January 2020, just before the pandemic, for a performance with English tenor Ian Bostridge as part of the Tucson Desert Song Festival. Reflecting on her connection with the Tucson music community, she expressed excitement about returning. “The Tucson music community has been a really good friend for many years,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to returning to Tucson this year.”
Her 2020 performance was one of her last live concerts before the pandemic halted her performance schedule for several years. For her upcoming recital, Yang will present a program from her critically-acclaimed 2023 album “X Culture,” which celebrates cultural diversity through music that crosses cultural boundaries.
The album features works by composers influenced by various cultures, including Italian composer Carlo Domeniconi, who explores Turkish influences, and Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, who draws from Japanese traditions. The album also includes compositions by English composer Stephen Goss, inspired by Chinese influences, and the late Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who incorporated Western movie culture into his music.
Yang shared that the idea for the album came from her experiences with Western composers who had written works incorporating Eastern elements. This cross-cultural fusion inspired her to think about how music can bridge divisions and unite people. “Our world is often quite divided, and when we talk about different cultures, we often think of the barriers,” she explained. “As an artist, I would like to build bridges between cultures so that we can bring people together. I think this is particularly important during these times.”
In addition to her classical guitar repertoire, Yang also explores Spanish flamenco and Brazilian bossa nova, genres that she believes are particularly well-suited for the guitar. “We often put music into baskets, like classical, pop, folk, etc. The guitar is such a versatile instrument, and whilst I was trained as a classical guitarist, I believe that good music is good music, regardless of its categorization,” she said. “I enjoy many types of music and want to share this with audiences across the world.”
With over 20 years of experience on the international stage, Yang is considered one of the finest classical guitarists of her generation—a feat she never thought possible when she was a young girl in China. “As a little girl in China, I knew I would like to spend my life playing music, but I didn’t really know what that meant in practical terms, or even if it was possible,” she recalled. At the time, no one in China had pursued a career in classical guitar, making her path even more challenging. Yang became the first person in China to study classical guitar at a conservatory and the first to gain international recognition in the field.
Yang’s upcoming recital, part of the Tucson Guitar Society’s international artist series, will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the University of Arizona’s Holsclaw Hall, located at 1017 N. Olive Road.
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