Profile | Visually impaired erhu player Yang Enhua brings traditional Chinese music to the world
Yang Enhua talks about his musical journey, from picking up the classical Chinese instrument to his innovative rehearsal process
Yang Enhua recently made a name for himself in August when he placed as a top 10 finalist in the sixth annual Danny Awards playing the erhu – a two-stringed bowed instrument used in traditional Chinese music.
Hosted by the US-based Daniel’s Music Foundation, the Danny Awards is a global music competition that celebrates musicians with disabilities. Yang, a visually impaired musician originally from Harbin, in China’s Heilongjiang province, will travel to New York to perform alongside the other finalists on October 25.
The 28-year-old is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree in music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) with a focus on the erhu. On September 20, he took the stage at Youth Square, in Hong Kong’s Chai Wan neighbourhood, where he performed the piece that earned him a spot among the Danny Awards finalists.
He also performed a set of new compositions by his teacher, the virtuoso composer Cao Tianli, alongside the Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble, violinist Francis Chik, and pianist Hung Ting.
“We’ve been preparing for this performance for a year now, if you include the timeline from composition to rehearsals,” Yang told the Post ahead of the Youth Square event.
Cao had newly composed many of the pieces, and Yang began rehearsals in early August.