Praised for his “confident, smooth toned, and unobtrusive virtuosic” playing Yuel Yawney has performed extensively across North America, Europe and Asia performing in major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Toronto, San Francisco, Washington DC, Montreal, Ottawa and, of course, in his home town of Vancouver. A founding member of the Borealis String Quartet, Yuel has been heard at such festivals as Festival of the Sound in Ontario, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, MusicFest Vancouver, the June Music Festival in Albuquerque, NM, the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival and Mendocino Music Festival in California to name a few. The Borealis String Quartet celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020.
Regularly heard on CBC Radio and other radio stations, in addition to performing Yuel enjoys teaching and coaching at festivals, universities and music institutions wherever he travels. As the Quartet in Residence at the University of British Columbia, School of Music for ten years, Yuel frequently taught master classes as well as individual lessons and now teaches at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Langley Community Music School.
Yuel began his musical studies in Canada before moving to the Czech Republic to study at the famed Prague Academy of Music. Returning to North America, he graduated with his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Performance from the Harid Conservatory and the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
He performs on a violin by Italian-born maker, Sergio Peresson made in 1973, sister instrument to the famous cello by the same maker especially made for to cellist Jacqueline Du Pre.