Yuja Wang
Yuja Wang (Chinese: 王羽佳; pinyin: Wáng Yǔjiā; born February 10, 1987)[1] is a Chinese pianist. Born in Beijing, she began learning piano there at age six, and went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.[2]
The native form of this personal name is Wang Yujia. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Yuja Wang王羽佳
February 10, 1987
Beijing, China
Pianist
Piano
1998–present
王羽佳
Wáng Yǔjiā
Wáng Yǔjiā
⁶waon-yu-cia
wong⁴ jyu⁵ gaai¹
Early life and education[edit]
Wang comes from an artistic family. Her mother, Zhai Jieming, is a dancer and her father, Wang Jianguo, is a percussionist. Both live in Beijing.[8]
Wang began learning the piano at age six.[2] At age seven, she began studies at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music. At age eleven, Wang entered the Morningside Music Bridge International Music Festival (at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta) as the festival's youngest student.[9]
At the age of fifteen, Wang entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied for five years with Gary Graffman and graduated in 2008. Graffman said that Wang's technique impressed him during her audition, but "it was the intelligence and good taste" of her interpretations that distinguished her.[8]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
In 1998, at the age of eleven, Wang received third prize in the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany.[10] Three years later, she won the third prize and the special jury prize (awarded to an outstanding finalist less than 20 years of age, with prize money of 500,000 Japanese yen) at the first Sendai International Music Competition in Sendai, Japan.[11]
In 2002, Wang won the concerto competition at the Aspen Music Festival.[12]
In 2003, Wang made her European debut with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Switzerland, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 under the baton of David Zinman. She made her North American debut in Ottawa in the 2005–2006 season, replacing Radu Lupu performing that Beethoven concerto with Pinchas Zukerman conducting.[13]
On September 11, 2005, Wang was named a 2006 biennial Gilmore Young Artist Award winner, given to the most promising pianists age 22 and younger. As part of the award, she received $15,000, appeared at Gilmore Festival concerts, and had a new piano work commissioned for her.[14]
In 2006, Wang made her New York Philharmonic debut at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. The following season, she performed with the orchestra under Lorin Maazel during a tour of Japan and Korea by the Philharmonic.[15]
In March 2007, Wang's breakthrough came when she replaced Martha Argerich in concerts held in Boston.[16][17][18] Argerich had cancelled her appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on four subscription concerts from March 8 to 13.[16] Wang performed Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Charles Dutoit conducting.
Works written for and premiered by Wang include the following:
Other pieces that received world premieres with Wang as soloist include the following:
In January 2009, Wang signed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon.[63]
Although there are reports Wang released a debut CD in 1995,[64][65][66] there is little information available about it.