Double bassist Heran Yang wins national competition grand prize

Heran Yang (Photo by Juan Cerda)Master's student and bassist Heran Yang knows it's tough for the bass to compete against other string instruments — but he won the grand prize in the American String Teachers Association national competition in New York City this spring. He was only the fourth double bass player in the 35-year history of the biennial competition to take the top spot.

Yang hopes to graduate in May 2014 and then teach. He also is working on an ensemble project that he plans to perform in China next summer.

"Most people still have the misconception that the double bass cannot play well as a solo instrument," Yang says. "But in my opinion, there is no difference between the double bass and other instruments."

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