John Bruce Yeh

John Bruce Yeh joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1977, the first Asian musician ever appointed to the CSO, as well as the longest-serving clarinetist in CSO history. He serves as Assistant Principal and Solo Eb Clarinet of the CSO, and has performed as guest principal of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic in Korea.

A prize winner at both the 1982 Munich International Music Competition and the 1985 Naumburg Clarinet Competition in New York, Yeh continues to solo with orchestras around the globe. An enthusiastic champion of new music, Yeh is the dedicatee of new works for clarinet by numerous composers, ranging from Ralph Shapey to John Williams. His numerous solo and chamber music recordings have earned worldwide critical acclaim. Recently released by Naxos is a disc titled Synergy, of single and double concertos with clarinet featuring Yeh, his wife Teresa, and his daughter Molly.

Yeh is director of Chicago Pro Musica, which received the Grammy Award in 1986 as Best New Classical Artist. With clarinetist Teresa Reilly, erhu virtuoso Wang Guowei, and pipa virtuoso Yang Wei, Yeh recently formed an innovative quartet dedicated to musical exploration by bridging Eastern and Western musical cultures called Birds and Phoenix. He is on the artist-faculties of Roosevelt University’s Chicago College for the Performing Arts and Midwest Young Artists in Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Yeh is the proud father of Jenna Yeh, 28, a culinary artist in Chicago; Molly Yeh, 24, a percussionist and journalist in North Dakota; and 7-year-old Mia Reilly-Yeh.