Download a PDF of the programme notes here.
In Episode 5 of The Music Room, Zoë Beyers talks to Auricolae, the trailblazing American storytelling and music troupe.
Auricolae (Latin for ‘little ears’) was founded in 2001 by violist, composer and narrator David Yang. He is joined by Auricolae’s cellist and composer Kenneth Woods as they discuss their love of setting stories to music and sharing the adventure with audiences of all ages. Here is something for everyone: captivating stories and enchanting music - fables and tales full of humour, pathos, comedy and tragedy.David Yang - Director of Auricolae
Violist, narrator, composer and director of Auricolae, DAVID YANG has collaborated with members of the Audubon, Borromeo, Brentano, Lark, Muir and Tokyo String Quartets, amongst others. He is Music Director of the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival near Boston, MA and enjoys a successful career that has led him all over North America and Europe. He also is Director of Chamber Music at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the award-winning string trio Ensemble Epomeo. David is a staunch advocate of new music and has commissioned dozens of works. He was born and raised in New York City and now lives in South Philly with his two daughters, Eliana and Alessandra.
When not practicing viola and hanging out with his children, he enjoys following professional cycling and eating anything with lots of garlic in it. David’s father was born in China in Xuzhou (near Shanghai) and came to America before World War II. His mother comes from a Jewish family in Brooklyn that came over from Poland, Austria, and Russia at the turn of the 20th Century. His various other pursuits have led him to acquire a Master’s Degree in architecture and work as a bicycle messenger in Manhattan, a fossil hunter in the Utah desert, a bartender, and a carpenter (not all at the same time!).
The conversation – to be broadcast on YouTube or on Vimeo from 19:30 to 20:30 on Friday, 21st August – will be followed immediately by a Zoom Q&A session hosted by David Yang. If you would like to take part, please email