Page content
Chinese-born percussionist Le Yu has built an active international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. His competition record includes the Gold Medal at the China National Percussion Competition, first prize at the 2009 Italy PAS International Percussion Competition, and winner of the 2012Yamaha European Scholarship Competition in London. In 2019, he was named a Young Artist of Philanthropy in China by UNESCO.
He is the founder and Music Director of the Greater Bay Area International Percussion Festival, and has been appointed Artist-in-Residence for the 2025 Shenzhen "Belt and Road" International Music Festival.
With his Aurora Percussion Duo, he won first prize in the mixed ensemble category at the 60th Royal Over-Seas League Competition, performing at London's Southbank Centre in front of the British Royal Family during the Award Ceremony. The duo also won the Park Lane Group Competition at the Southbank Centre, and was selected by Live Music Now to deliver projects for special educational needs across the UK. The duo has performed at major venues and festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, BBC In Tune, Cambridge Music Festival, Bridgewater Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall, and the RNCMDay of Percussion.
As a concerto soloist, Yu has premiered multiple works, including Keiko Abe's marimba concerto ‘TheWave’ in Asia, the US, and the UK. In 2024, World famous Chinese composer Xiaogang YE dedicated to him a new marimba concerto ‘ Crane Chirping ’ , which Yu premiered with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra at the 2024 Shenzhen Belt and Road International Music Festival Opening Concert. That same year, he gave the European premiere of Pengfei YU's marimba concerto Lotus Smile at theWien KonzerthausMozart Saal in Vienna, following its world premiere at the Beijing Modern Music Festival. He has appeared as concerto soloist with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, China National Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Harbin Symphony Orchestra, Xi'an Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, BBC Singers, and others. He has performed live on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 2, BBC Manchester, European Television 4, and CCTV Music. He was a soloist with the 2016World Percussion Group, and has given solo recitals and masterclasses across the US.
Yu has served on the jury of the Royal Philharmonic Society Award, and since 2016 has been a jury member of the China National Percussion Competition and the Southern Percussion International Competition, as well as recently the Croatia International Percussion Competition Rhythm-O-Phonia. He has given masterclasses in the US, Mexico, Singapore, the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China.
He served as a Full Professor and Founding Programme Director of Percussion at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, where he also served as Acting Head of Strings, Wind, Brass and Percussion, and Director of the International Affairs Office. He holds the title of Shenzhen Government Talent Programme Expert. In the UK, he is permanent Professor of Marimba at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he previously served as Deputy Director of Percussion. He has also taught at Chetham's School of Music; his pupil Fang Zhang won BBC Young Musician of the Year 2020. He holds visiting professorships at the Xi'an, Wuhan, and Shenyang Conservatories of Music in China. In 2020, he became the first percussionist to be awarded AssociateMember of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Le Yu is a Yamaha Artist, Sabian Artist, and Kolberg Artist.
