TwoSet Violin cancel US concerts over visa issues

Straits Times

2 days ago

Australian violin duo TwoSet Violin, comprising violinists Eddy Chen (left) and Brett Yang, announced the cancellations of their US shows in a YouTube video. PHOTO: TWOSETVIOLIN/YOUTUBE
SINGAPORE – Australian duo TwoSet Violin – violinists Brett Yang and Eddy Chen – were forced to cancel several concerts in the United States after Yang failed to secure a visa.
On June 26, less than two weeks before the start of their US tour, the social media stars uploaded a 24-minute video on YouTube announcing the cancellation of a string of July shows in Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Taiwan-born violinists have previously done multiple shows in the US, including tours in 2023 and 2019.
The duo explained that they applied for the US visa in April. A few weeks later, Chen's application was approved, but Yang was asked to provide more documents for his application.
'We have the exact same application, our resumes are the same,' Chen, 32, says in the video.
Cancelling the shows was not an easy decision, they said, as they had to consider the impact on the fans who had already bought tickets, the accompanying orchestras, as well as their own finances that had gone into organising the concerts.
The duo are working with their agency and the US orchestras to try to resolve the issue and secure Yang's visa before the second leg of their North American tour. This will kick off with a show in Vancouver, Canada, on Sept 27, and will include October dates in US cities such as Washington, Chicago and Dallas.
The Seattle show has been rescheduled to Oct 17. They are now trying to secure new dates for the San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles shows that were supposed to take place in July.
In their video, the duo also assured fans that refunds will be available for ticket buyers.
Yang, 33, says: 'Sorry for the bad news, we really tried.'
He later jokes that he 'will play violin' for anyone out there who can help resolve his visa application.
TwoSet Violin have been credited for popularising classical music on social media, adding humour and personality to content that often poke fun at music stereotypes while encouraging fellow musicians to practise diligently.
Their YouTube channel, which launched in 2013, has 4.3 million subscribers and contains videos that have collectively amassed 1.3 billion views. They also have a significant following on other platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
They have staged several concerts in Singapore. These include a 2022 performance at the Victoria Concert Hall, accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, that sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale.
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