Biography
Yat-Soon was born in London of Chinese parents and studied Music at King’s College London from where he has a master’s degree in Historical Musicology. He continued with postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama studying harpsichord with Christopher Kite and conducting with Harry Newstone. Whilst there, he won the prestigious Raymond Russell Prize for harpsichord.
After a distinguished career in music education, during which time he has been Director of Music at The Lady Eleanor Holles School and St Paul’s Girls’ School (where his predecessors included Gustav Holst and Herbert Howells), Yeo Yat-Soon has now returned to his first love – playing the harpsichord. He performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician and musical director. He teaches harpsichord, coaches chamber music and lectures in historical performance practice at the University of Birmingham.
Yat-Soon gives regular solo harpsichord recitals and lecture recitals. He particularly enjoys performing in historic venues and presenting the music in an appropriate historical and cultural setting. He has performed at the Handel Hendrix in London (formerly Handel House), the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court, the Horniman Museum, St George's Hanover Square, Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare, Finchcock’s Musical Museum, Burgh House, The Lovekyn Chapel and the Octagon Room at Orleans House. He has recently performed specifically conceived solo recitals at the magnificently restored Jacobean mansion of Forty Hall, Horace Walpole's ornate 18th century Gothic villa at Strawberry Hill House and the exceptionally preserved non-conformist Chapel at Walpole in Suffolk.
Yat-Soon works widely as an ensemble harpsichordist. He has performed regularly at the South Bank, St John’s Smith Square and St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and the Musikinstrumenten Museum and Friedenau Kammersaal in Berlin. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. He is a member of Follia, The Lovekyn Consort, The Stanesby Players and The Purcell Orchestra. He is also a member of the Berlin-based Camerata Berolinensis with whom he has recorded chamber music by Stamitz and Gluck. He has a regular baroque violin and harpsichord ensemble Duo Follia with the violinist Diane Moore.
As a conductor, Yat-Soon has specialised in baroque opera and vocal music. He has conducted widely acclaimed productions, including Lully's Proserpine for London Baroque Opera and Purcell's King Arthur and Dioclesian the City of London Festival. He has been musical director with Opéra de Baugé in France for whom he has conducted Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Handel’s Theodora and most recently Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea in 2016.
Yat-Soon is also involved in writing and editing. He has written for Early Music Today and has arranged the keyboard parts to two volumes of Renaissance Recorder Anthology published by Schott.
In his long involvement with music education Yat-Soon conducted school orchestras of national repute which have performed at the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, toured internationally to China and the USA and broadcast for BBC 1, BBC4 and Channel 4 television.
After a distinguished career in music education, during which time he has been Director of Music at The Lady Eleanor Holles School and St Paul’s Girls’ School (where his predecessors included Gustav Holst and Herbert Howells), Yeo Yat-Soon has now returned to his first love – playing the harpsichord. He performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician and musical director. He teaches harpsichord, coaches chamber music and lectures in historical performance practice at the University of Birmingham.
Yat-Soon gives regular solo harpsichord recitals and lecture recitals. He particularly enjoys performing in historic venues and presenting the music in an appropriate historical and cultural setting. He has performed at the Handel Hendrix in London (formerly Handel House), the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court, the Horniman Museum, St George's Hanover Square, Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare, Finchcock’s Musical Museum, Burgh House, The Lovekyn Chapel and the Octagon Room at Orleans House. He has recently performed specifically conceived solo recitals at the magnificently restored Jacobean mansion of Forty Hall, Horace Walpole's ornate 18th century Gothic villa at Strawberry Hill House and the exceptionally preserved non-conformist Chapel at Walpole in Suffolk.
Yat-Soon works widely as an ensemble harpsichordist. He has performed regularly at the South Bank, St John’s Smith Square and St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and the Musikinstrumenten Museum and Friedenau Kammersaal in Berlin. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. He is a member of Follia, The Lovekyn Consort, The Stanesby Players and The Purcell Orchestra. He is also a member of the Berlin-based Camerata Berolinensis with whom he has recorded chamber music by Stamitz and Gluck. He has a regular baroque violin and harpsichord ensemble Duo Follia with the violinist Diane Moore.
As a conductor, Yat-Soon has specialised in baroque opera and vocal music. He has conducted widely acclaimed productions, including Lully's Proserpine for London Baroque Opera and Purcell's King Arthur and Dioclesian the City of London Festival. He has been musical director with Opéra de Baugé in France for whom he has conducted Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Handel’s Theodora and most recently Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea in 2016.
Yat-Soon is also involved in writing and editing. He has written for Early Music Today and has arranged the keyboard parts to two volumes of Renaissance Recorder Anthology published by Schott.
In his long involvement with music education Yat-Soon conducted school orchestras of national repute which have performed at the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, toured internationally to China and the USA and broadcast for BBC 1, BBC4 and Channel 4 television.
Solo harpsichord programmes
Yat-Soon is particularly interested in performing solo harpsichord programmes which have a specific historical theme. These are often specifically related to the historical buildings in which he performs many of his recitals. Yat-Soon is also enjoys exploring the close links between the visual arts and music in each historical period. His recitals include engaging and informative introductions to the music drawing on his training as a musicologist and experience as a teacher.
For examples of sample solo harpsichord programmes and recent/forthcoming concert publicity please download the files below.
| yeo_solo_harpsichord_programmes__2016_.pdf |
| yeo_yat-soon_solo_concert_publicity__2016_.pdf |
