Berklee Student Yukai Yang Named 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artist

Berklee Student Yukai Yang Named 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artist The drummer secured a spot among the elite winners in this years competition.

By

Maddie Russell

April 18, 2025

Yukai Yang

Image by Sussie Su

Yukai Yang, a student at Berklee College of Music, has been selected as one of the 11 winners of the prestigious 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artists (YYPA) competition for his dynamic percussion performance and musicianship.

The YYPA competition is designed to acknowledge and reward exceptional young musicians studying in the United States who excel in classical, jazz, and contemporary music genres.

Yang came from Jincheng, Shanxi, China, to study at the college as a drum principal. He was encouraged by brass professor and alumnus Tiger Okoshi, a Yamaha artist himself, to participate in this years YYPA. As a result, Yang competed and won the Jazz/Contemporary Drum Set category.

Yukai Yang has a unique and strong born-to-be-a-drummer' attitude, said Okoshi. He understands what cymbals can do to the musical paintings we create. Cymbals make the music more dimensional, and Yukai understands why I told him to sing the melody while playing the set of drums so that he creates better orchestration on the drum set.

The winners of the 2025 YYPA competition receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the YYPA Celebration Weekend, June 21-24, 2025, in Muncie, Indiana, during the Bands of America Summer Camp. The three-day event was created to help launch the winners into their careers with the opportunity to perform in front of a unique audience, participate in industry workshops, and receive national media coverage.

John Wittmann, associate vice president for the Yamaha Artist Relations Group, said, Each of the 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition Winners is extraordinarily unique and gifted. The real magic happens when they come together and perform their chosen works, including some original pieces for the exuberant audience at the Bands of America Summer Camp in June. The YYPA winners have earned this recognition and will never forget this once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. Yamaha remains committed to music education and we will continue to help guide young music-makers toward rewarding careers.

The winners will also benefit from services and support offered by Yamaha Artist Relations, including professional audio and video recordings, as well as photography of their live performances.

Related Categories

News

Most Popular

Toto in the recording studio from Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.

Photograph by Jim Hagopian/HBO

The Best Music Documentaries on Every Streaming Platform Explore groundbreaking music documentaries streaming across Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more. From intimate artist portraits to legendary concert films, discover the stories behind your favorite artists and iconic moments.

Latest

Francisco Mela and Kim Perlak performing in January 2025

Image by Bryan Lasky

Listen to Kim Perlak and Francisco Mela's New Album, Recorded in a Single Afternoon The duo's debut album, Spaces, recorded live without edits or overdubs, is a testament to risk-taking, real-time connection, and crossing musical boundaries.

Argentine musician Fito Pa z spoke to Berklee students on the Boston campus on April 14, 2025.

Image by Kelly Davidson

Detach Yourself from the Herd': Fito P ez Inspires at Berklee In a session hosted by the Mediterranean Music Institute, the influential Argentine musician encouraged students to reflect, question, and dance.

Students performed at the Berklee in Puerto Rico concert in 2024.

Image courtesy of Make Music Happen

Berklee in Puerto Rico Program to Host 30th Anniversary Concert The event will feature Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist Miguel Zen n BM '98, cuatro player Fabiola M ndez BM '18, and other musical guests.

Read All

Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.

LINK:	https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/berklee-student-yukai-yang-na...
	See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines