Fusion of US-Chinese culture makes a violin virtuoso

INDEBTED TO PARENTS

Yet Yu said he was always ready to share the beauty of music with the audience.

"I was given such talent by my parents. If I don't share that talent with the world, I am not fulfilling my responsibility as a musician. So as tough as it sounds like, I'm happy to do what I'm doing right now."

Yu was all in tears when he talked about his mother who passed away eight years ago.

"The biggest challenge I had to deal with emotionally and physically was when my mother got cancer and I wasn't even sure if I could stay in this country anymore because I so much wanted to go back and support the family," he said. "But then I decided to stay because I know if I thrive as a musician, that's the biggest comfort for her."

Yu took a flight to New Zealand for a pre-scheduled competition the day his mother passed away.

"I didn't even cry because I had no power to even do that. So I decided to cry with my violin," he said. "I got to the final and I couldn't feel my hands because physically I was so tired. I also had injuries. I took four pills of painkillers just to relieve the pain in my hands ... I felt her spirit was there with me, so that I was able to magically keep playing till the end."

"I made it and I sort of decided to use the music to mourn her. That was one of the toughest memories. But I would say that's also one of the most precious memories in my musical career. That makes me a stronger man, a much more mature musician," he said.

"Eight years passed since she passed away. But every time I perform on the stage, I still imagine she's there listening to me."

MERGING OF EAST & WEST

Yu attributed his success to his early violin training in China, further study in the United States as well as his deep exposure to both Chinese and Western culture.

"The violin teaching system in the U.S., for example, is very different from what I received in China," he said.

In China, people put more emphasis on the method and the technique while in America, it is more about the bigger picture and how to approach certain musical ideas, he said.

"Both are great. I think in order to become a great musician, you should have a very strong foundation technically, but you should also have this inner voice to help you to become a mature musician," he said.

Though the language of music is universal, it is very helpful for musicians playing a certain piece of music to better understand the culture and history where the music is from, Yu said.

"For example, Mozart was born in Austria and Bach was born in Germany. So we have to 'live' in Europe in order to really understand their language and their music," he said. "Just like if you ask an American to play (well-known Chinese) violin concerto Liang Zhu or Butterfly Lovers Concerto, most likely you will feel like something is missing. That's because the story has been in our blood for so long."

As to his future development, Yu said he hopes he would have more opportunities to share his music with more audience.

"I think that is very important. And really every day I remind myself where I come from and I'm really, really proud to be a Chinese," he said.

"Everybody has dreams. I have dreams, too. But luckily, I had almost fulfilled all my dreams of my childhood with all the efforts I was making on the daily basis," he said. "So I think it's important to focus on the next task. Always focus on how to prepare as well as possible for the next concert."