Brett Yang’s application for a visa to work in the US was denied in May, leaving the duo no choice but to postpone five West Coast concerts in July as Yang makes a second visa application
The first dates of musical comedy duo TwoSet Violin’s world tour have been postponed, after a US visa application was denied two months before the tour was due to start this month.
The duo, comprising violinists Brett Yang and Eddy Chen, was scheduled to perform concerts in Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles in July. Both artists applied for an O-1B visa, which grants individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts to work in the US temporarily.
While Chen’s visa application was accepted, Yang’s application was denied on 15 May, despite being ‘exactly the same’ as Chen’s.
Prior to the visa denial, Yang was asked for further evidence to support his application. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) then denied his application, deeming his additional evidence as unsatisfactory.
The first five shows of the duo’s world tour have been postponed, with future US dates – currently scheduled for October 2025 – left in jeopardy as TwoSet Violin’s agency KD SCHMID aims to process Yang’s second visa application in time.
The members of TwoSet Violin have successfully applied for US visas for their previous world tours in 2017–18 and 2023. This marks the first time the members have applied for O-1B visas, and with an agency.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Yang elaborated the wider impact of the visa decision, saying: ’It’s pretty stressful because there are multiple parties involved.
’It hurts fans quite a lot – people buy tickets, fly to different cities, book accommodations… But we also had orchestras involved and our agency. I wish we could understand the reason [for the application denial] better because I just spent around $6000 on it.’
TwoSet Violin has now spent more than $20,000 on the visa application process, which also includes advice from lawyers. Additionally, they have lost money on the tour, totalling almost six figures.
Chen said they were told that they could not meet their fans. ’A big core of our fan-base is in the US, and for them, it might be, logistically, their only opportunity to meet us… The magic is being able to meet the people who have supported us through our whole journey face-to-face.’
The duo is hopeful that Yang’s second visa application will be successful.
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