YUJA WANG
(piano)

Born in Beijing in 1987, Yuja Wang was drawn to piano at the early age of six when she began studying music in China. Her early public performances took place not only in China but also in Australia (1996) and Germany (1998) where the press acclaimed her poetic interpretation of Liszt's "La Leggierezza." She went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, with Professors Ling Yuan and Zhou Guangren.

Yuja has been a frequent prizewinner in National and International competitions, including first prize in the Huapu Cup National Piano Competition, the First "Mido" Concours De Tiano Sino-Francais, the Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition and the Veo Internacional Primer Premio in Spain as well as the third prize in Eglington International Piano Competition in Germany. In 2001 she was first prize-winner of the Junior Group of the Seiler International Piano Competition and third prize-winner and recipient of the Special Jury Award at the First Japan Sendai International Music Competition (where she was the youngest of all competitors).

As an active performer, Yuja has given recitals in Beijing, Zhuhai, Shijizhuang, Harbin and Urmuqi in China. In May 1999 she visited France and performed in the concert for the winners of "Mido" Concours De Tiano Sino-Francais. In July 1999, as a student and winner of the Concerto Competition of the Morningside Music Bridge program at Mount Royal College in Calgary, she performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed at the International Chopin Festival in Duszniki, and at the International Chopin conference in Warsaw. In China, Yuja has performed frequently as a concerto soloist, including concerts with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of noted Chinese conductor Zheng Xiaoying. In November 2000 she took part in the special concert "Dialogues Between Two Generations of Musical Talents," where she shared the stage with Maestro Xu Zhong, Jian Wang and Hu Kun. In May 2002 Yuja was a featured performer in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's "Up and Coming" series hosted by noted Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker. Yuja made her debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Switzerland performing Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, David Zinman conducting, in September 2003.

Highlights of the 2004-05 season include her debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, where she replaced Radu Lupu performing Beethoven's fourth concerto, conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. She was immediately reengaged to perform Chopin's first concerto in June 2005. She also made her debut with the Baltimore and New Jersey symphony orchestras, as well as her debut at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center and the new Strathmore Concert Hall performing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the China Philharmonic conducted by Long Yu. In the 2005-06 season Yuja will make her debut with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic (Japan), IRIS Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic (Russia), and Kansas City Symphony.

Yuja Wang attended three Morningside Music Bridge summer programs (1999-2001) at Calgary's Mount Royal College. In 2001 and 2002 she studied at the Mount Royal College Conservatory Academy Program for Gifted Youth with teachers Hung Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone. Also in the summer of 2002 and then again in 2003 Yuja worked with renowned piano pedagogue John Perry at the Aspen Music Festival, where she won the Concerto Competition in her first year of attendance. For the past three years Yuja has attended The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Gary Graffman. In March 2004 she was selected as one of four participants in Leon Fleisher's Carnegie Hall masterclasses on the late Schubert sonatas.

For more information about Yuja Wang,
please visit her web site at www.icmtalent.com/musperf/profiles/60316.html.