Hong Kong Soprano Vivian Yau holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her musical talent was recognized from a young age. At the age of 10, she made her debut appearance singing the role of Tilly in Howard Blake’s The Bear with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. She has since made several other appearances with the orchestra. After achieving a Fellowship in Voice, and an Associate diploma in Piano from Trinity College London, Vivian then went on to pursue further musical training, and completed her secondary school education at Wells Cathedral School, England.

In the summer of 2015, Vivian won the Orchestral Award at The Bel Canto Institute in Firenze, and was invited to perform some of her favorite arias with the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra at their Annual Opera Gala. Vivian's other awards include First Prize at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Wales. As well as First Place in the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition in NYC, making her Weill Hall debut in the winners’ recital. At the Mid Somermet Festival in England, Vivian has been awarded The May King Vocal Award, Irene Jerrim Award, and medals for winning in all categories. In her teenage years, Vivian was awarded First Place for over 20 times at the annual Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, winning the prestigious Miss Barbara Fei Vocal Scholarship.

Vivian has been voted as “My Favorite Young Music Maker” on Radio Television Hong Kong by the public audience, and regularly appears on local musical TV and radio programs to promote classical music. Vivian is passionate about sharing her music with different audiences; she regularly gives masterclasses to young children, performs in charity events, and participates in outreach projects.

An active advocate of new music, Vivian frequently collaborates with modern composers. She has premiered short operas, song cycles and other works of over a dozen contemporary composers in New York City. In 2016, Vivian was featured as soloist in Jakub Polaczyk’s newly composed mass “Missa Apuncta”, at the XVIII International Chopin & Friends Festival, NYC. And in 2020, Vivian sang the lead role of Cai Wenji in the world premiere of Joan Huang’s chamber opera “18 Melodies for Hu-Jia” with West Edge Opera, California.

The 2017-2018 season saw Vivian making her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, conducted by Mark Shapiro. Vivian appeared in the Juilliard Opera productions of Britten’s Burning Fiery Furnace, and Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges. She also made her debut with the New Juilliard Ensemble and FOCUS! Festival.  In the summer of 2018, Vivian sang the role of Rosina in Aspen Opera Center’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she previously performed with the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Sicily.

Upon joining the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the Fall of 2018, Vivian’s role debuts in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons include the title role in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Asteria in Handel’s Tamerlano, and Valentina Scarcella in John Musto and Mark Campbell’s Later the Same Evening. She also made her role debut as Adele in Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center in Summer 2019, a role she later performed again with the Conservatory in an online performance in June 2020.

Since the start of the global pandemic, Vivian has participated in a range of digital performances, including producing and editing a music video for her own performance of George Crumb’s Apparition. Other performances include Michael Ching’s “Zoom Speed Dating Tonight!” with the Janiec Opera Company of Brevard Music Center, Ken Steen and Mary Birnbaum’s “APART/MENTAL” with #OperaHarmony and OperaVision.eu, and “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” with the Asia Society.

In April 2021, Vivian sang the title role in the world premiere of Pierangelo Valtinoni’s “Alice in Wonderland” at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, a production co-commissioned by the Zürich Opera House and Yip’s Children Choir Hong Kong.