Classical guitarist's Colors of Brazil comes ahead of Rio Games

"A few of the names are now internationally recognized but most, while celebrated in Brazil, remain little known outside. It's my desire to bring such music to a wide audience," says Yang.

In today's music market, classical guitar still struggles to make itself heard.

But Yang, a Beijing native who now lives in London, is using this versatile instrument to introduce new listeners to the diversity of music.

Yang has released six albums so far and has done many world tours. She is one of the earliest Chinese to study the guitar at a music school at home and also win a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London.

She is among the first classical guitarists to land a record deal in China as well.

On Tuesday, she will do a solo recital from her new album in Changsha in Central China's Hunan province.

Her parents introduced her to classical guitar only because they wanted their naughty daughter to be quieter.

"When I started to play classical guitar, 80 percent of the students were boys," says Yang.

Since then she has aspired to balance techniques of playing classical guitar with expressing her own emotions.

"You have to be yourself when you play any kind of instrument. That's what makes you different."

Yang plays not only Western compositions but also a traditional repertoire, such as the adaptation of musical pieces played on Chinese instruments like the pipa (zither) or liuqin (four-stringed instrument).

Yang often plays one or two Chinese musical pieces in her concerts, such as her own transcription of composer Wang Huiran's Dance of the Yi People, and Butterfly, a 10-minute excerpt from the perennial violin concerto.

"The guitar is such an accessible and beautiful instrument. When I perform these pieces, which are not traditionally guitar-driven, the audience, especially those who are not familiar with Chinese music, are surprised."