HOMECOMING: PIANIST AMY YANG RETURNS TO THE MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Amy Yang, the Associate Dean of Piano Studies and Artistic Initiatives at Curtis Institute of Music is no stranger to the University of Houston. While she wasn’t a student at the university, she grew up roaming the halls and exploring its libraries throughout her childhood. 

Her father, Dr. Hua Yang, emigrated from China to pursue a degree in music composition, and when Amy and her mother joined him in the states, the University of Houston became their second home. 

From her earliest memories, Amy was surrounded by music. Her grandfather was a conductor, her mother a soprano, and her father a composer, which led to her forming a relationship with piano as a young child. “Around the time I was born, China had just reopened its economy. We were poor, but fortunately, we had an upright piano, and my father taught me at home. Our bedroom shared the same room as the piano, so music was always around me,” says Amy. 

Eventually, she began taking piano lessons, but those lessons stopped when she was eight years old, and her father immigrated to the United States. 

Hua Yang always dreamed of being an engineer, but due to The Cultural Revolution, he and his family had to move to the countryside to receive work and education in specific fields. Because of this political movement, Hua and his family experienced great hardship, but in 1975 Hua had the opportunity to leave the countryside and join a performing troupe. 

Hua’s father was a professional conductor and was no stranger to the stage. So, his love for music came naturally and blossomed as he performed with the troupe over the course of two years, which led him to apply to the Shenyang Conservatory where he went on to major in composing and conducting. Upon graduating from Shenyang Conservatory, he continued his study as a graduate student and taught music theory and composition for six years, as required by China’s law post-graduation. Hua then applied to a multitude of schools in the United States, ultimately choosing the University of Houston. 

After his first year as a graduate student and with encouragement from professors, Hua decided to pursue his DMA in composition. “Deciding to pursue my DMA allowed me to slow my study pace because my wife and daughter were still in China, and I wanted to wait for them. I used that time to learn computer programs and new software that would elevate my musical career and knowledge,” said Hua.  

After his first year as a graduate student and with encouragement from professors, Hua decided to pursue his DMA in composition. While studying at the University of Houston, Hua met Timothy Hester, Professor of Piano at the Moores School of Music. “Tim had a big bag of music scores he’d carry with him, and he performed so many concerts that I wondered how he had time to practice,” Hua said. Little did he know that Timothy Hester would play a huge role in his and Amy’s lives. 

When Amy was 11, she and her mother immigrated to the U.S. to join her father Hua. 

“I quickly became one of those children that just tagged along with their parents to work – in this case, school. Thanks to the University of Houston, I had access to so many phenomenal resources. I would go into the library and listen to recordings of faculty recitals and that’s where I first heard Timothy Hester play. I was completely spellbound by his artistry. Apparently, I asked my dad for a piano and the rest was history,” says Amy.   

“Occasionally, I would take Amy and her mother to the Moores School of Music to use a piano room so they could practice. Eventually, we were able to get our hands on an old piano, but because we lived in an apartment, practice time was very limited. So, the first thing she [Amy] would do after school was practice piano until her 9:30 p.m. cutoff time – so as not to wake the neighbors. She worked hard to compensate for the time lost when she was in China,” says Hua. 

As Amy got older, her calling towards music became more apparent and much more defined during her years as an adolescent. “Timothy Hester taught me during my teenage years, and I owe everything to him and my parents. I think it was the best musical education anyone could have had and above all else, I think Hester and my dad just made it fun. It was the most artistically generative and fun education anyone could have had. There wasn’t one lesson Hester taught me that wouldn’t have me laughing my head off. He has the ability to make hard work enjoyable. It was never about work; it was always about the joy of playing and sharing music. That is the most resonating principle for me as I now share my work with younger generations.”