Liang Wang (born 1980) is an American
oboist
An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette.
The following is a list of notable past and pres ...
. In 2006, he joined the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
as the principal oboe, The Alice Tully Chair.
About
Wang was born in
Qing Dao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and studied at the
Central Conservatory of Music
The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Statio ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and the
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Idyllwild Arts Academy is a private school located in Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains and San Bernardino National Forest, within western Riverside County, California. The school was founded in 1946. It was previously known as Idyllwild Sc ...
in California. He received his bachelor's degree from Philadelphia’s
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship.
Hi ...
, where he studied with
Richard Woodhams. He was a fellowship recipient at the
Aspen Music Festival
The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado.
It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...
and the
Music Academy of the West
The Music Academy is a classical music training program in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California.
Overview
The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composer ...
.
Upon graduation from Curtis in 2003, Wang was offered a position as principal oboe of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, but turned it down in favor of the same position with the orchestra of the
San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...
. Shortly after that, he was appointed to the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
. Two weeks later he won an audition for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cincin ...
, where he served as principal oboe. While in that position, he was a finalist in auditions for principal oboe in the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
and
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
. Wang declined positions with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Houston Grand Opera in order to perform with the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the fir ...
as principal oboe. He also won an audition for the Metropolitan Opera's orchestra, electing, instead, to join the New York Philharmonic.
Wang was hired as principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 by
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel (, March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in th ...
. As a concerto soloist, he debuted at the
Hong Kong Arts Festival
The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), launched in 1973, is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city by presenting leading local and international artists in all genres of the performing arts as we ...
during the orchestra's 2008 tour of Asia and at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in 2009 as well as numerous appearances at
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...
. Notable interpretations of the repertoire include Strauss and Mozart's oboe concertos, Bach's Brandenburg concertos, Christopher Rouse's oboe concerto, and Chen Qigang's ''Extase''.
As a chamber musician, Wang has performed at the
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is a six-week-long summer Festival of chamber music held annually in July and August and located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was founded in 1972 and presented its first series of concerts in 1973. Well-known mu ...
, the La Jolla Music Society, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium. Wang has recorded with the
Poulenc Trio.
In addition to his performances, Wang is a faculty member at the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...
, where he teaches oboe.
He was named an honorary professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory. Wang has offered master classes at the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory, New York University, The New School, Seoul University, and music conservatories in Singapore, Hanoi, Beijing, and Shanghai.
In 2014, Wang was named “the artist of the year” by the
Beijing Music Festival
The Beijing Music Festival (BMF) is an annual music festival held in Beijing which according to Chinaculture.org has become one of the most well-known musical events in the world, drawing international attention. According to Chinaculture.org t ...
.
The award was presented by
Deng Xiao Ping
Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...
's daughter
Deng Rong
Deng Rong () is a Chinese politician and the third daughter of Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.
Early life
Deng is the youngest child of Deng Xiaoping and his third wife, Zhuo Lin. She has two older sisters, Deng Lin and Deng Nan, as well as t ...
. He was also invited by
President Xi
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...
to perform with the Orchestre Colonne de France at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of French-Chinese diplomatic relations.
References
External links
Liang Wang's Biography on the New York Philharmonic WebsiteNPR story, Oboist Liang Wang, September, 16, 2006Poulenc Sonata, Liang Wang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Liang
1980 births
Living people
American oboists
Male oboists
Aspen Music Festival and School alumni
Central Conservatory of Music alumni
Musicians from Qingdao
Educators from Shandong