Yang Yang (; 1974/75 – 10 June 2019) was a Chinese operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

and music professor at the

Capital Normal University Capital Normal University (首都师范大学, pinyin: ''Shǒudū Shīfàn Dàxué'', or 首师大 for short) is a university in Beijing, China. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university, identified by the Ministry o ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He won top prizes at four Italian opera festivals. including the

Pesaro Festival The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international music festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini. Its aim, in addition to studying the musical heritage of the composer, is to r ...

, and was named one of China's top ten tenors in 2012 by

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...

. He died by suicide in 2019, at the age of 44.

Biography

Yang was a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

. He studied piano and singing from a young age, and was admitted to the

People's Liberation Army Academy of Art The Military and Cultural Institute of National Defense University, People's Liberation Army (), previously the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art (, colloquially known as Junyi 军艺), is an academic institute of the PLA National Defense U ...

. After earning a bachelor's degree in

bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...

, he continued his studies at

China Conservatory of Music The China Conservatory of Music () is a public music academy in Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The music conservatory was established in 1964, and currently co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Beijing Municipal People's Government. ...

, where he obtained a master's degree in Chinese folk singing. After graduation, Yang became a tenor in the entertainment troupe of the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

. In 2005, he won the top prize at a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

opera festival in Italy. In 2007, he won the 12th Wenhua Prize (文华表演奖), China's top prize for performing arts. In 2008, Yang moved to Italy to study and perform. The following year, he won the top prizes at three Italian opera festivals, including the

. After returning to China, Yang became a music professor at the

, and performed with the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the

China National Opera The China National Opera House (CNOH) or China Central Opera (中央歌剧院) is a State-run opera company based in Beijing, China, and under the Chinese Ministry of Culture. CNOH consists of an opera troupe, a choir, a symphony orchestra and a s ...

, and the

Shanghai Grand Theatre The Shanghai Grand Theater () is a complex located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Huangpi Road South in the northern part of the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. The building houses the Shanghai Opera House a ...

. He pioneered the combination of

with traditional Chinese singing techniques, and performed

Chinese folk songs Music of China refers to the music of the Chinese people, which may be the music of the Han Chinese in the course of Chinese history as well as ethnic minorities in today's China. It also includes music produced by people of Chinese origin in som ...

in Italian. In 2012, he was named one of China's top ten tenors by

. Throughout his career, he performed in dozens of countries and held more than 20 solo concerts. On 10 June 2019, Yang died at his home at the age of 44. According to his colleagues at the China National Opera, he jumped to his death from the 26th floor of his building. He reportedly suffered from depression. He died soon after the birth of his second child.

References

{{authority control 1970s births 2019 suicides 2019 deaths Chinese operatic tenors People's Liberation Army Academy of Art alumni China Conservatory of Music alumni Academic staff of the Capital Normal University Suicides in the People's Republic of China Suicides by jumping in China Manchu singers Chinese expatriates in Italy 21st-century Chinese male opera singers