Deutsche Grammophon China (DG China), the classical label launched by Universal Music Greater China in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, announced the exclusive signing of two outstanding young Chinese musicians — guzheng artist Yang Yang and pianist Ju Xiaofu.
Under these long-term agreements, DG China will support both artists through an integrated partnership spanning recordings, concerts, artist management, touring, repertoire development, and brand collaborations — a full-spectrum model designed to support enduring artistic careers.
Yang, the first Chinese traditional instrumentalist signed to an exclusive full-service contract with DG China, represents a new generation of musicians bringing heritage into contemporary focus. The young artist is currently pursuing her master's degree at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She combines virtuoso performance with composition, arranging, production, and singing, reflecting a distinctly multidimensional artistic identity.
The guzheng, a plucked Chinese zither with a history of over 2,000 years, remains one of the most distinctive instruments in Chinese musical traditions. Yang has also built a strong following among younger audiences in China through original projects and a digital fan base of nearly 1 million across major platforms.
"As a guzheng artist, I hope to bring a distinct Eastern voice to this storied classical label through the instrument's 21 strings, and to explore how traditional Chinese music can speak to contemporary audiences in ways that feel fresh and meaningful while expanding true to its spirit and depth," she says.
Ju joins DG China as its first signed pianist, bringing to the label a distinctive artistic voice shaped by contemporary sensibility and poetic imagination. A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York, now pursuing further studies in Hannover, Germany, he has appeared at leading venues including the Wiener Musikverein, the Salzburg Festspielhaus, and the Berlin Philharmonie, and has also performed with the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the China NCPA Orchestra. Deeply engaged with contemporary repertoires, he has performed the Chinese premieres of Philip Glass' Piano Concerto No 3 and Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques, and released his debut album Waldeinsamkeit in 2025.
"The Yellow Label has been part of my musical imagination since childhood, and it is a great honor to now become part of that legacy…I believe this will be a close and joyful partnership through which we can create new work together with sincerity, imagination and freedom," said Ju.
"Yang Yang and Ju Xiaofu are both remarkable artists with distinctive voices, deep musical integrity and the potential to resonate far beyond China. We are proud to welcome them to DG China and to begin a comprehensive partnership that will accompany them across every dimension of their artistic journeys," said Timothy Xu, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Greater China.
