Doctor of Musical Arts
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
Master of Arts
Royal Academy of Music, London, UK
Licentiate of Teaching Diploma
Royal Academy of Music, London, UK
Bachelor of Music
Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China
Featured Reviews
"From the very first notes, she pulled me into its nostalgic spirit, something that is not so easy with music of such depth ... . Yin ’s playing in the Brahms has a mellow sweetness of timbre that is truly special...It is a special joy to hear how seemingly effortlessly she navigates its more challenging aspects..."
Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review
"...Yin's utterance over the next 35 bars puts beauty to shame. I find myself at quite a loss for words to describe it. Her F at the beginning of bar 70 is whispered so softly and with such intimacy that a shiver went up my spine. It is as if in that one note, Yin unlocks the secret to the sensuality of Franck's music that so enflamed the passions of his audiences... I've heard more performances of Franck's sonata than I can count or remember, but I've never heard it played with the exquisiteness of expression that Yin and Chiang aspire to and achieve in it here."
Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine
"Beautiful singing tone! I find Yin's playing has much nuance, color and sense of style...Sense of live and dynamic contrast, very musically satisfying."
Artist Presentation Society
"Her approach to the Brahms Sonata and Franck Sonata is very relaxed...Her calm intimacy inviters the listener's attention rather than commands it. She often does not vibrate notes that most performers do today and slides slowly from one note to the next in the Franck, which contributes to the feeling that I am listening to a music of the distant past. "
Magil, American Record Guide
"...you have only to hear the combination of aching hope and intense longing that suffuses her shaping and shading of Brahms first movement's second subject, beginning at bar 36, to understand her deep emotional involvement with the music...This is extraordinary playing one doesn't encounter all that often in partnering....These two artists make every note of every bar of every moment of this music count, and I can honestly say I was swept up by their performances of these two works in ways I never have quite been before. An absolutely urgent recommendation...This is it for those who want to hear these works performed as never before."
Jacqueline Kharouf, Fanfare Magazine
Biography
Hailed by the New York Concert Review for the "mellow sweetness of her timbre" and her "dazzling technique," award-winning artist Qian Yin enjoys a dynamic and versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue. Qian has earned international recognition as a prize winner in the Berlin International Music Competition, Basel International Music Competition, Artist Presentation Society Competition, Alexander & Buono International String Competition, Global Music Awards, American Young Musician Award, and the Southern Illinois Young Artist Competition, among others. An active soloist, Qian has appeared in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York, London's Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Academy of Music's Duke's Hall, the Taipei National Concert Hall, and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Her live performances and recordings have been broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR), Seattle's Classical KING 98.1, and the Sky Arts Channel (Sky UK Limited). Qian's album "Franck & Brahms" has received outstanding reviews and awards. Fanfare Magazine (March/April 2023) wrote, "...you have only to hear the combination of aching hope and intense longing that suffuses her shaping and shading of Brahms....I can honestly say I was swept up by her performances of these two works in ways I never have quite been before..."
A dedicated educator, Dr. Yin taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2012 to 2015. She received her LRAM (Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music) Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Currently, she serves on the faculty of the Seattle Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Dr. Yin has served on the adjudication panels for the US Open Music Competition, the US New Star Music Competition, and others. Dr. Qian Yin’s priority is to guide her students to discover their unique sound and style, while developing the technique necessary for beautiful music-making. Her students have won top prizes at many international competitions, including the Chicago International Music Competition, Vancouver International Music Competition, Washington State MTNA Outstanding Artist Competition, the Junior Bach Festival in the Bay Area, and the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside in Seattle. In addition to these competition successes, students from Yin Music Studio have been selected as Concertmaster or Associate Concertmaster in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra. They have also achieved excellent results in the examinations of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). A number of her outstanding students have been invited to perform at the RCM Certificate Program's Northwest Regional Celebrations of Excellence Recital and the ABRSM Global High Scorers' Concert.
As a passionate chamber musician, Yin has given recitals at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Chicago Cultural Center, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, the Royal Festival Hall in London, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Illinois, the Hong Kong Cultural Center, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Beijing Poly Theatre. She has participated in many renowned music festivals, including the Banff Musicians in Residence program in Canada, the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine, Young Euro Classic in Berlin, and the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival. During the 2005 season, she was invited to tour with Japan's Maestro Seiji Ozawa and chamber musicians from the Ongaku-juku, performing concerts in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hamamatsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin.
Dr. Yin released her album of Franck & Brahms Sonatas with Dr. PoChuan Chiang in 2022. Her upcoming album, featuring works by Stamitz, Mysliveček, Amy Beach, and Paradis with the Philharmonia Orchestra, will be recorded in London's Henry Wood Hall in 2027 and released in 2028.