top of page

Yangfan Xu (b. 1998) holds a deep passion and love for cats. Whenever she hears a string player glissando in the upper registers, she can’t help but think of a cat's meow. In addition to her feline obsession, Xu is a Chinese-born US-based composer who comes from a musical family in Lanzhou, Gansu province, with a spoiled cat who eats better than everyone else. Xu was awarded the 1st Prize of the 2020 Hausmann Quartet Quarantine Composition Competition. She is the winner of the Society for New Music's 2021 Israel/Pellman Award. She won the 2021 New Juilliard Ensemble (NJE) Composition Competition, and her commissioned work Fantastic Creatures of the Mountains and Seas premiered at
the Lincoln Center in a concert by NJE in 2022. Her music has been enjoyed by audiences in cities such as New York, San Francisco, San Diego, and Paris. Her compositions have been performed by professional groups such as Friction Quartet, Choral Chameleon, Keyed Kontraptions and Ravel Virtual Studios. Her music will be performed by the Sydney Contemporary Orchestra in Australia in 2023. Xu has worked with composers including Phillip Lasser, Xiaofu Zhang, Ping Jin, and Michel Merlet. Xu studied musicology at the high school affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music in China. She began her compositional study with Changyuan Liu in 2014. She received a bachelor’s degree in composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Mason Bates. Xu earned her master’s degree in composition at the Juilliard School, studying under Robert Beaser. She is a current DMA student at the New England Conservatory of Music with studio teacher Kati Agócs.

Life as a composer 

Available Recordings:

 

  • Ecstatic burial - pipa and string quartet | ca. 12’

 Recorded by Shuxin Meng and Friction Quartet

 Released in July 2018, available on more than 15 music stores.

 

  • Luo Jiang Yuan - A bit Blue - string quartet | ca. 8’

 Recorded by Friction Quartet on November 11, 2019 

 Released in December, 2019.

 

  • Shen Hua - orchestra suite | ca. 15’ 

Created by Ravel Virtual Studios in November 2019

Released in December, 2019.

  • Bya - orchestra  | ca. 12’ 

Created by Ravel Virtual Studios in November 2021

Released in December, 2021.

Facetune_03-10-2022-17-05-28.HEIC

​2018 - Present

  • A Folk Dance - prepared piano | ca. 3’

                Premiered by the composer on November 7, 2019 at SFCM Prepared Piano Masterclass with Kate Campbell in San Francisco

  • Taiji Said - violin, cello, clarinet, piano | ca. 11’40’’                                       Performed in February 2019 in San Francisco

  • Dryocopus into the forest - piano solo version | ca. 8’                               Premiered in November 2018 in San Francisco

  • Dryocopus into the forest - string quartet | ca.3’   

                Premiered in July 2018, at European American Musical Alliance Institute in Paris, France

  • QingYi - trumpet and SATB choir | ca. 3’ 

                Premiered by Nathan Plante and Choral Chameleon, June 2018 in Brooklyn New York

  • Ecstatic burial - pipa and string quartet | ca. 12’

                Performed by Shuxin Meng and Friction Quartet at 2018 Hot Air Music Festival, San Francisco

  • Ji - contrabass flute and contraforte  | ca. 4’ 

                Premiered by Keyed Kontraptions at 2018 Hot Air Music Festival, San Francisco

  • Ji’ - contrabass flute and contraforte  | ca. 4’  

               Performed by Keyed Kontraptions, April 2018 in San Francisco.

  • Two movements from suite Shen Hua: Red Lantern Dance | ca. 3’ & A Finishing Touch  | ca. 4’ - piano version 

                Premiered by the composer in March 2018.

231537041278_.pic_hd.jpg
241537041310_.pic_hd.jpg

2017

​​

  • Shangui - flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion | ca.15’

Premiered in April 2017, San Francisco Conservatory Of Music

  • Fuyou - SATB choir | ca.4’  

Premiered by Choral Chameleon, July 2017 in Brooklyn New York

  • Ecstatic burial - pipa and string quartet | ca. 12’

Premiered by Shuxin Meng, Leah Froyd, Rachael Lindsey, Mitso Floor, Maclean Pachkowski in November 2017, at San Francisco Conservatory of music

  • Nyenchen Tanglha - brass quintet | ca.3’ 

Premiered in November 2017, at San Francisco Conservatory of music

Life as a pianist

2016-present​​ 

 

  • Currently studying piano minor with SFCM piano faculty Corey McVicar.

  - Will have: Yangfan Xu’s Senior Piano Recital on February 6, 2020.

 

  • A Folk Dance - prepared piano, by Yangfan Xu

            Performed on November 7, 2019, at SFCM Prepared Piano Masterclass with Kate Campbell.

 

  • Starry Night - soprano and solo piano, by Jeffery Moiser 

          Performed in 2016 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

 

  • Synced - piano, violin, viola, cello, percussion and electronics, by Dariush Derakhshani

          Performed & Recorded in 2018 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

 

  • Roadshow for Otto - flute, clarinet, cello, piano, by Carl Schimmel 

          Performed in 2018 Hot Air Music Festival.

 

  • Dream Suite - solo piano, by Jonah Gallagher 

          Performed in Jonah Gallagher Graduate Composition Recital, in 2018 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

 

  • Sinfonia - Two Pianos and Percussion, by Colin Martin 

          Performed in Colin Martin Graduate Composition Recital, in 2018 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Facetune_03-10-2022-16-57-26.HEIC
iStock-901594748.jpg

Awards:

Won Golden Prize at the piano competition of  Singapore Chinese Arts Festival.
 

Won Golden Prize at the piano competition of Kobe Osaka International Music Festival.
 

Won Excellent Prize for Art Director at Kobe Osaka International Music Festival.

iStock-923626584_edited.jpg
Facetune_03-10-2022-16-17-31.HEIC

Life as a choir singer

2016-present​​ 

 

  • ​Singing Alto in San Francisco Symphony Chorus, led by director Ragnar Bohlin, concert season 2019-2020

 

Will perform: 

Handel Messiah on December 13&14, 2019

SF Symphony Holiday Concerts A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 21, 22 & 23, 2019

Brahms A German Requiem on May 22, 23 & 24, 2019

Wagner The Flying Dutchman on June 11,13 & 15, 2019

Mahler Symphony No.8 on June 25, 26, 27 & 28, 2019

 

  • Singing Alto in Mouthscape Contemporary Chorus concert season 2019-2020

 

  • Singing Soprano/Alto in the Choir of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, directed by Timothy Zerlang.

  • Sang in the chorus with San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra for Julia Wolfe workshop in 2018.

 

  • Sang Alto in San Francisco Conservatory Chorus from 2017 to 2018.

Performed Mozart 'Requiem' with California Symphony, conducted by Donato Cabrera

Performed Arvo Pärt 'Te Deum' with California Symphony, conducted by Ragnar Bohlin.

Performed Christmas Concert at San Francisco Conservatory in 2017 with conductor Ragnar Bohlin and Eric Choate.

 

  • Sang Soprano in Mouthscape Contemporary Chorus concert season 2017

Performed in 2018 Hot Air Music Festival.

Performed 'Charm me asleep' in composer David Conte's Composition Recital in 2018.

Performed in composer Raja Orr’s recital in May 2018.

Performed work by Nicholas Denton-Protsack at SFCM Composition Department Recall in 2018.

bottom of page