Yuja Wang

The “wonder woman” pianist

Top Classical, December 2021
Ever since pianist Yuja Wang came to international attention it was clear that she’s a serious young artist with more to her formidable talent than jaw-dropping technique. Praised for her charisma and captivating stage presence, acclaimed by the public and valued by critics since her debut, Yuja Wang is a whirlwind of energy and assured virtuosity on the keyboard who breaks the stereotypes of classical music with brilliant, fresh and astonishing piano recitals.

Yuja Wang was born in Beijing and encouraged to make music at a young age by her dancer mother and percussionist father. She began piano lessons at the age of six, and her progress was accelerated by studies at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of  Music.  In 1999 she moved to Canada and enrolled as the youngest ever student at Mount Royal Conservatory. Wang’s exceptional gifts were widely recognised in 2001 with her appointment as a Steinway Artist, and again the  following  year  when  she was offered a place at Philadelphia’s prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Gary Graffman.

Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later she had already signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and since then she has become one of the most well-known artists on the international circuit, with a prolific career and numerous albums. Yuja Wang was named Artist of the Year 2017 by the magazine «Musical America». 

The past year has been chock-full of landmark events for Wang: Throughout this last year Wang has been nominated as resident artist in three of the most important venues in the world: the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Luxembourg Philharmonie. Currently tackling about 110 concerts a year, she is undoubtedly building her career in the fast lane. And justifiably so: the San Francisco Chronicle, for one, has declared that she has ‘a practically superhuman keyboard technique with artistic eloquence that is second to none’.

This brilliant career, always on the spotlight hasn’t been except of criticism. Last February Wang was shamed by critics for her appearance, for wearing sunglasses during her recital. The piano virtuoso has defended herself explaining that she had been detained and subjected to “intense questioning” for over an hour at Vancouver International Airport, causing her to almost miss her recital at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Yuja Wang says she delivered the recital in sunglasses to hide her tears.

“My main concern in that moment was to give the best performance I possibly could, and not to allow the audience to be distracted by my swollen eyes or visibly shaken demeanour. It would never be my intention to snub or disengage with an audience. Everything I do on stage is about connecting with people. My audiences and fans sustain and nourish me as an artist.” Said Yuja.