Classical violinist knows his way around a fiddle

AIKEN --- Classical violinist Bobby Yang will perform in Aiken on Thursday in a benefit concert for the Aiken Youth Orchestra.

Mr. Yang is the "ultimate acoustic violinist," said Kristin Brown of the Aiken Center for the Arts.

According to a statement from the center, the violinist "has reinvented the sound of acoustic violin."

Ms. Brown said that Mr. Yang is an excellent example of a musician with classical training who has expanded his career to many other genres, including bluegrass, pop and rock.

"His violin sounds combine the passion of the violin with the dirt bluegrass fiddle and the rawness of a guitar," she said.

When Mr. Yang is not touring with his band, Unrivaled Players, he is the fiddler with Kevin Costner's new band, Modern West, and he appears in the actor's latest film, Swing Vote.

The violinist has recorded with musicians including Avril Lavigne, Cowboy Mouth and Default.

"He is a great example of what classical training can do," Ms. Brown said.

During his visit to Aiken, Mr. Yang also will teach a master class to the Aiken Youth Orchestra and string players in Aiken County public schools.

The Aiken Youth Orchestra was founded in 2002 by the school district, Public Education Partners and the Aiken Center for the Arts.

The benefit concert will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cedar Creek Church on Banks Mill Road. For more information on obtaining tickets, call the Aiken Center for the Arts at (803) 641-9094.

Contact Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.