Oliver Herbert, cello
Xiaohui Yang, piano
Union College

Cellist Oliver Herbert is quickly building a reputation as an artist with a distinct voice and individual style, admired by audiences for his communicative and connective performances. The recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Oliver has been praised by San Francisco Classical Voice for his “expansive tone, virtuosity, and musical instincts.” Recent appearances include debuts with world renowned ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Oliver is equally at home playing well-known works as well as exploring uncharted musical territories. The 2021-22 season marks the beginning of several ambitious projects, including performances of the complete Bach Cello Suites at Capital Region Classical and the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas at Guarneri Hall in Chicago. Oliver will also be premiering a commissioned work by Chelsea Komschlies for multitrack cello and electronics, as well as exploring the music of Venezuelan composer and cellist Paul Desenne. Concerto highlights for the 2021-22 season include performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, New World Symphony, and Rhode Island Philharmonic—performing works by Barber, Ibert, Saint-Saens, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky.

In June of 2020, Oliver released his debut album with pianist Xiaohui Yang, Frame of Mind: Fauré and Janáček, featuring the two cello and piano sonatas of Gabriel Fauré as well as Leoš Janáček’s Pohádka (Fairy Tale). Oliver’s additional recording highlights include a release of Haydn’s D Major Cello Concerto with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Interested in the intersection of visual art and music, Oliver also enjoys working on mixed media and video projects. Recent collaborations in this area include projects with filmmakers Lone Cricket, Mike Grittani, and Mimi Pfahler.

As a chamber musician, Oliver has participated in leading music festivals including Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Krzyżowa Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Marlboro Music, Music in the Vineyards, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia, and Verbier. In the 2021-22 season, Oliver joins violinist Alexi Kenney and pianist Eric Lu for a program of Haydn, Schumann, and Schubert at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

Born in San Francisco, Oliver is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Colburn School where he studied with Carter Brey, Clive Greensmith, and Peter Wiley. Additional mentors include Pamela Frank and Dr. Ford Lallerstedt at the Curtis Institute. His competition awards include top prizes in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition, Klein Competition, and Stulberg Competition. Oliver currently plays on a Guadagnini cello that belonged to the great Italian cellist Antonio Janigro, on generous loan from the Janigro family.

Chinese pianist Xiaohui Yang, a winner of the 2017 Naumburg International Piano Competition has been hailed by the press as a "tastefully polished musician" (Haaretz, Israel)  and “a magician of sound and virtuosity” (La Libre, Belgium). She has been featured in performances throughout four continents, including in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Ozawa Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Seoul Arts Center.

Ms. Yang has been a soloist with ensembles including the Louisiana Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony, Curtis Symphony, Galveston Symphony and Poland’s Capella Bydgostiensis. Solo and collaborative performances include recitals for Portland Piano International, Shriver Hall Concert Series (Baltimore), Union College Concert Series (Schenectady, NY), Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago) and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (Katonah, NY). 

A dedicated chamber musician, Ms. Yang has taken part in renowned North American festivals such as Marlboro, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Banff and Taos, and has performed with luminaries such as Peter Wiley, Charles Neidich and Roberto Diaz. Ms. Yang has been invited to perform on tours with Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and Curtis on Tour at concert halls in the United States, Korea, and Greece. She is also a founding member of the Steans Piano Trio, alongside Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra violinist Eunice Kim and Boston Symphony Orchestra Assistant Principal cellist Oliver Aldort. 

Ms. Yang is a graduate of Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Ignat Solzhenitsyn and was a recipient of the Festorazzi Prize for the best graduating piano student. She earned her master’s degree at The Juilliard School as a student of Robert McDonald, and currently is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Peabody Conservatory, under the tutelage of Boris Slutsky. Before moving to the United States, Ms. Yang studied at the Attached Music School of Shenyang Conservatory of Music with Danwen Wei, Xianwei Cheng and Rosemary Platt.