February 1, 2026
Amos Yang: Assistant Principal Cello, Karel & Linda Urbanek Chair
A San Francisco native, Amos Yang joined the SF Symphony in 2007.
What was your first concert with the SF Symphony?
It was a European festivals tour in 2007, which was already scary, and we were playing Shostakovich Five, Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, and Mahler Seven. I was hired as Assistant Principal, but sat at the first stand as Associate Principal for that tour.
How did you begin playing the cello?
I’m so grateful to have been born and raised here in San Francisco. I began cello studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a now legendary cello guru, Irene Sharp, but we were her first crop of kids. In 1981 I joined the San Francisco Youth Orchestra in its inaugural year as an 11-year-old. I was promptly kicked out of the YO by Jill Brindel, a future colleague of mine, but I auditioned back in with the understanding I would try a little harder the second time!
Story continues below...
What was your first concert with the SF Symphony?
It was a European festivals tour in 2007, which was already scary, and we were playing Shostakovich Five, Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, and Mahler Seven. I was hired as Assistant Principal, but sat at the first stand as Associate Principal for that tour.
How did you begin playing the cello?
I’m so grateful to have been born and raised here in San Francisco. I began cello studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a now legendary cello guru, Irene Sharp, but we were her first crop of kids. In 1981 I joined the San Francisco Youth Orchestra in its inaugural year as an 11-year-old. I was promptly kicked out of the YO by Jill Brindel, a future colleague of mine, but I auditioned back in with the understanding I would try a little harder the second time!
Story continues below...
What were your next steps in becoming a professional musician?
After leaving San Francisco, I studied at both the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music. My important teachers were Channing Robbins, Paul Katz, Steve Doane, and Joel Krosnick—formerly of the Juilliard String Quartet. I also studied abroad in London for one year and then joined a string quartet that had a residency at the Peabody Conservatory and later the University of Iowa. After that, I played in the Seattle Symphony for several years.
What kind of cello do you play?
I play mainly on a Carlo Giuseppe Testore cello from the 1690s, owned by the Symphony. It’s a wonderful “old man” made in Milan, and I’m one of maybe 20 people or so that have put their voice into this instrument. It has such amazing layers and a warmth that is just fantastic. The Symphony acquired it for me, they sent me out to Chicago and put me in a room with seven instruments and said, “pick one of these, Amos.” But I didn’t trust myself, so I brought three consultants: my brother, who’s a violinist in the Rochester Phil, and two colleagues from the Chicago Symphony who play on very old instruments. I also own a cello made by Robert Brewer Young, who is a friend, and it’s a new instrument I hope in 300 years will sound equally as good as the Testore.
What about your bows?
I own a bow by Nikolaus Kittel who was a great Russian maker in the 1800s. For many years we had the world’s Kittel expert, Kenway Lee, here in San Francisco, so many of us in the Symphony and in the Bay Area have bows by this unique and rare maker.
What other musical activities do you pursue?
I love teaching, it’s one of the things I feel responsible for. I draw from all the wonderful things Irene Sharp gave me, and my coaches at Tanglewood gave me, and my teachers from Juilliard gave me, and try to keep the tradition alive. I also love chamber music—it’s nice to play smaller scale concerts and repertoire so that your voice is highlighted in a different way.
What do you enjoy besides music?
Family time is really important to me, even though we’re empty nesters. We recently sent our youngest off to UC Santa Barbara. And I love biking—if you’re out late in San Francisco, you might see me on Twin Peaks or in Golden Gate Park because I like riding at night.
After leaving San Francisco, I studied at both the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music. My important teachers were Channing Robbins, Paul Katz, Steve Doane, and Joel Krosnick—formerly of the Juilliard String Quartet. I also studied abroad in London for one year and then joined a string quartet that had a residency at the Peabody Conservatory and later the University of Iowa. After that, I played in the Seattle Symphony for several years.
What kind of cello do you play?
I play mainly on a Carlo Giuseppe Testore cello from the 1690s, owned by the Symphony. It’s a wonderful “old man” made in Milan, and I’m one of maybe 20 people or so that have put their voice into this instrument. It has such amazing layers and a warmth that is just fantastic. The Symphony acquired it for me, they sent me out to Chicago and put me in a room with seven instruments and said, “pick one of these, Amos.” But I didn’t trust myself, so I brought three consultants: my brother, who’s a violinist in the Rochester Phil, and two colleagues from the Chicago Symphony who play on very old instruments. I also own a cello made by Robert Brewer Young, who is a friend, and it’s a new instrument I hope in 300 years will sound equally as good as the Testore.
What about your bows?
I own a bow by Nikolaus Kittel who was a great Russian maker in the 1800s. For many years we had the world’s Kittel expert, Kenway Lee, here in San Francisco, so many of us in the Symphony and in the Bay Area have bows by this unique and rare maker.
What other musical activities do you pursue?
I love teaching, it’s one of the things I feel responsible for. I draw from all the wonderful things Irene Sharp gave me, and my coaches at Tanglewood gave me, and my teachers from Juilliard gave me, and try to keep the tradition alive. I also love chamber music—it’s nice to play smaller scale concerts and repertoire so that your voice is highlighted in a different way.
What do you enjoy besides music?
Family time is really important to me, even though we’re empty nesters. We recently sent our youngest off to UC Santa Barbara. And I love biking—if you’re out late in San Francisco, you might see me on Twin Peaks or in Golden Gate Park because I like riding at night.
