Norman Yao is a 10th grade double bassist attending Paul D. Schreiber High School in Long Island, New York.
Norman began studying double bass at age 10 with David Swanson at the iSchool of Music & Art. At age 12, he was accepted into Juilliard Pre-College, where he is currently in his fourth year of study with Mr. Timothy Cobb.
Since September 2023, Norman has been a member of the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony, following a year with the Juilliard Pre-College String Orchestra. Over four years at Juilliard, he has performed in eight Pre-College concerts featuring more than 30 works.
Norman has been selected for a series of prestigious programs, including the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Young Artists Orchestra (2025) and Double Bass Workshop (2024). During the former, he appeared as solo bass with the Young Artists Wind Ensemble. His recent solo and recital performances feature repertoire such as the Koussevitzky Concerto (BUTI, Luzerne Music Center) and works by Bottesini and Bach (BUTI). He has also participated in the String Orchestra Side-by-Side with Principal Musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra (2025), the Summer Orchestra Institute at the New England Conservatory (2024), Luzerne Music Center (2024), Kinhaven Music School (2023), and Musiktage am Rhein in Germany (2022). Additionally, he joined the Music in the Mansion Solo Performance Intensive of the Philadelphia International Music Festival (December 2024–January 2025), receiving instruction from members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Watch Norman Yao perform Concerto for Double Bass No. 2 in B Minor, Mvmt I (Allegro Moderato) by Giovanni Bottesini on the double bass for the 2025 Global Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.