Deutsche Grammophon China signs guzheng artist Yang Yang and pianist Ju Xiaofu
Yang Yang Becomes DG China’s First Chinese Traditional Instrumentalist and Ju Xiaofu Joins the Label As Its First Signed Pianist
BEIJING /BERLIN, 14 April — Deutsche Grammophon China (DG China), the China classical label launched by Universal Music Greater China (UMGC) in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, today announced the exclusive signing of two outstanding young Chinese musicians — guzheng artist Yang Yang and pianist Ju Xiaofu.
The signings represent a significant milestone in DG China’s continued investment in the future of Chinese classical music. Under these long-term agreements, DG China will support both artists through an integrated partnership spanning recordings, concert, artist management, touring, repertoire development and brand collaborations — a full-spectrum model designed to support enduring artistic careers.
Since its launch in 2025, DG China has set out to discover and support a new generation of Chinese classical artists, drawing on the heritage and artistic leadership of Deutsche Grammophon together with UMGC’s local market expertise and global infrastructure. The signing of Yang Yang and Ju Xiaofu reflects that mission in action, while expanding the label’s artistic vision —marking the first time in Deutsche Grammophon’s nearly 130-year history that it has embraced Chinese traditional music..
Timothy Xu, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Greater China, said:
“DG China was created to support exceptional Chinese musicians with long-term vision, world-class resources and a truly global platform. 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.”
Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon and New Business Strategy Global Classics, said:
“Deutsche Grammophon has always believed in nurturing artists whose individuality, imagination and artistic excellence can speak across cultures. Yang Yang and Ju Xiaofu each represent a compelling facet of China’s rich and evolving musical landscape. Universal Music is in a unique position to grow their careers meaningfully and holistically in China and beyond. We are excited about creating opportunties for our roster of DG China artists with globally visible recording projects as well as with live touring and brand partnerships.”
Yang 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. A young guzheng artist currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Central Conservatory of Music, she combines virtuoso performance with composition, arranging, production and singing, reflecting a distinctly multidimensional artistic identity. The guzheng, the plucked Chinese zither with a history of more than two millennia, remains one of the most distinctive instruments in Chinese musical tradition. Yang Yang has performed Guo Wenjing’s Chun Wang (Spring Gazing) at both the Vienna Konzerthaus and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, captivating Chinese and international audiences with her nuanced yet intense interpretation to thunderous applause and widespread acclaim. She has also built a strong following among younger audiences in China through original projects and a digital fanbase approaching one million across major platforms.
Yang Yang said:
“It is a tremendous honor to join DG China and begin a new chapter with the iconic Yellow Label, which I have long admired. As a guzheng artist, I hope to bring a distinctively Eastern voice to this storied classical label through the instrument’s 21 strings, and to explore how Chinese traditional music can speak to contemporary audiences in ways that feel fresh and meaningful while expanding true to its spirit and depth. I am deeply grateful to DG China for embracing this vision and for supporting me so comprehensively across recording, performance, artistic planning and long-term development. I look forward to sharing my music with more audiences in China and around the world."
Ju Xiaofu 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 now pursuing further studies in Hannover, he has appeared at leading venues including the Wiener Musikverein, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Berlin Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, while also performing with the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the China NCPA Orchestra. Deeply engaged with contemporary repertoire, he has given the Chinese premieres of Philip Glass’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques, and released his debut album Waldeinsamkeit in 2025.
Ju Xiaofu said: “Joining DG China is both deeply meaningful and profoundly inspiring for me. 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 hope that, together with Universal Music and DG China, I will be able to realize many of my artistic aspirations, release more recorded work and bring my music to ever larger stages. I am very grateful to DG China for its trust, and I believe this will be a close and joyful partnership through which we can create new work together with sincerity, imagination and freedom.”
Zhao Zheng, Head of DG China, said:
“From the moment we began shaping DG China, our ambition has been to build a platform that supports artists in a truly comprehensive way — from identifying talent and refining artistic direction to recording, touring, management, media projects and brand collaboration. Yang Yang and Ju Xiaofu are exactly the kind of young artists we hope to champion: deeply committed, highly individual, and capable of opening new conversations around classical music and artistic expression in China today. We are excited to work closely with both of them over the long term and to help bring them to broader audiences at home and internationally.”
