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In the Practice Room with Amos Yang

Amos Yang

What is on your music stand? What is the first thing you do on the cello every day?

Why do you practice? What drives and motivates you? Anything that helped during the pandemic?

When do you feel the most inspired in the practice room?

How do you stimulate creativity and imagination in the practice room?

In your mind, what is it that makes an effective practice session?

Is there a particular practice method that you swear by?

What are the best ways to prevent injury?

How do you manage lots of repertoire at the same time?

With such a big workload, how do you avoid burnout and maintain balance?

How do you start learning a new piece?

How has your practicing evolved over the years, or even recently?

Is there anything we haven’t discussed that you feel is vital to productive, creative practice sessions?

 

Subjects: Interviews, Practicing

Tags: Amos Yang, creativity, daily practice, how to practice, In the Practice Room, inspiration, motivation, Orchestral Playing, practice habits, Practice Room, practice tips, practicing, San Fransisco Symphony, Self-Recording

AUTHOR

Amos Yang

Amos Yang has been assistant principal cellist with the San Francisco Symphony since 2007. He was previously a member of the Seattle Symphony. Yang has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, the Far East, and Europe, appearing at the Aspen Music Festival, the American Academy in Rome, Wigmore Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. He has collaborated with the Ying Quartet, Turtle Island String Quartet, pianists Ann Schein and Melvin Chen, violinist Earl Carlyss, and composer Bright Sheng.

Yang's awards include the Performer's Certificate at the Eastman School of Music and first prizes in the American String Teachers Association and Grace Vamos competitions. He was finalist in the Pierre Fournier International Cello Competition and was awarded the CD Jackson Prize at the Tanglewood Music Festival for outstanding musical contribution.

Born and raised in San Francisco, he was a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and San Francisco Boys Choir. Yang holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School. His primary teachers have included Irene Sharp, Channing Robbins, Paul Katz, and Steven Doane. From 1996 to 2002, he was the cellist in the Maia String Quartet. He also served on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory, the University of Iowa, Grinnell College, and the Interlochen Advanced String Quartet Institute. Yang serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the San Francisco Academy Orchestra.

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