Vita

Hedi Yang – Percussionist

At the age of 16, she became the youngest percussionist ever admitted to the Bachelor’s program in Classical Percussion at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Under the guidance of renowned musicians such as Klaus Schwärzler, Raphael Christen, and Benjamin Forster, she developed remarkable technical precision combined with great expressiveness and interpretative depth. Even earlier, at the age of 15, she was invited as an exchange student to leading American institutions – including Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Peabody Conservatory of Music – where she gained valuable insights into diverse musical traditions.

Her exceptional abilities are also reflected in her numerous competition successes. She achieved a historic milestone at the Italy PAS International Percussion Competition, where she became the first and, to date, only musician in the competition’s history to receive the highest possible score of 100/100 points in the marimba category and was awarded the Absolute First Prize. Further significant achievements include First Prize at the Taiwan International Percussion Competition (2016), Second Prize at the IPEA International Percussion Competition (2017), First Prize at the Swiss Percussion Competition (2024), First Prize at the ZHdK Contemporary Competition (2025), and First Prize at the International Marimba Festival in the same year.

As both a soloist and orchestral musician, Hedi Yang has performed on major stages across Europe, Asia, and the United States. In 2021, she toured Switzerland’s leading concert halls with the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, she was invited on a European tour with the Czech Philharmonic, where she impressed audiences with her versatility and commanding stage presence.

Her musical influence extends beyond the concert stage. The legendary marimba composer Gordon Stout dedicated the work Shadows of the Wind to her, which she premiered to great acclaim – a testament to her inspiring impact on the contemporary repertoire.

Since 2022, she has served as an academy member with the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic. In 2025, she will join the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra as part of the Lucerne Festival Academy and was also awarded the Fritz Gerber Prize, one of the highest distinctions for young artists in Switzerland.

Alongside her international concert career, she continues her Master solist studies at the Zurich University of the Arts. She is supported by several scholarships, including the Zangger Weber Foundation, Bruno Schuler Scholarship, International Lyceum Club Zurich and the ZHdK Fund.