About the author
Hailed by the New York Concert Review Inc. as “phenomenal” for her Carnegie Hall debut recital and described by the Miami Herald as “A two sided-talent–a competition-winning pianist turned double bass virtuoso,” Yung-chiao Wei is an acclaimed international double bass soloist and educator who believes in the transformative power of music and the vital role of bringing musical performance and education to communities.
Currently a Professor of Double Bass at the LSU School of Music, Wei is also Founder and Artistic Director of the Louisiana Bass Festival, Co-founder of the Connect2Music Project, and author of “Effortless Ways of Playing the Double Bass. A frequent adjudicator in major double bass competitions (International Society of Bassists Solo Competition and International Sperger Competition for Double Bass), Wei also enjoys her students’ success in major national and international competitions (National YoungArts, International Society of Bassists, Stulberg International String Competition), orchestra and university positions both in the US and abroad, Grammy nominations, and founding a youth orchestra in Brazil, with the mission of bringing music to the underprivileged.
Wei’s honors include Awards to Louisiana Artists and Scholars, LSU Teaching Award, Taiwan Young Concert Artists, and both the 2nd Prize and Audience prize in the First Izuminomori International Double Bass/Cello Competition (Japan). As a chamber musician, Wei has collaborated with Leon Fleisher and James Ehnes. She has served as principal bassist in the New World Symphony, New York String Orchestra (Carnegie Hall), Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra (Boston), and has traveled to four continents to give concerts and master classes at sites include Opera Bastille (Paris), Royal Danish Academy of Music, Yale School of Music, Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Berlin University of the Arts, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Japan Double Bass seminar, Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Taipei University of the Arts, Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and Shanghai Conservatory, among many.
As a petite female bassist with physical disadvantages (having hands that have thumbs and little fingers half the size of those found on normal hands), she has had over 10 years of various hand injuries. Her unique circumstances have led to endless researching and exploring the unlimited possibilities of the human mind, natural body movements, integrating breathing techniques into her playing and teaching, ultimately inspiring her method “Effortless Ways of Playing the Double Bass.” Designed to guide all students in mastering the bass through natural movements, regardless of their height and size, her method earned recognition from The Strad Magazine in their December 2023 interview “Mind over Matter: Finding Effortless Ways to Play.” Wei’s recording of the Chinese violin concerto, “Butterfly Lovers,” and the Brahms 1st Cello Sonata is available on Centaur Records. Her transcription of the Elgar Cello Concerto, Brahms 2nd Cello Sonata, and commissioned works by Ming-hsiu Yen and Matthew Tommasini is available on CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and Sheet Music Plus.
Wei received her Master’s degree with honors from the New England Conservatory and Bachelor’s degree with a Performance Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Her teachers include James Vandemark, Lawrence Wolfe, Stuart Sankey, Jeff Turner, Derek Weller, Peter Dominguez and Claudia Chen.
