Rolex Testimonee Yuja Wang

The daughter of a dancer and a percussionist, Beijing-born concert pianist Yuja Wang became a Rolex Arts Testimonee in 2009. The young piano prodigy began playing at the age of six and by the time she was eleven, she was already playing international music festivals. She is known around the world just as much for her technical skill as her nuanced interpretations of classical pieces, with a fashion sense and stage presence that is met with critical acclaim wherever she plays. 

Rolex Testimonee Yuja Wang (photo: Rolex/Hugo Glendinning)

Wang's musical education began at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. In 1999 she moved to Canada to participate in the Morningside Music summer program at Calgary’s Mount Royal College. After that she enrolled as the youngest ever student at Mount Royal Conservatory. In 2001 she was appointed as a Steinway Artist and the following year when she was offered a place at Philadelphia’s prestigious Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Gary Graffman. She graduated from there in May of 2008 after already achieving success after her debut a few years earlier with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. 

In March of 2007 she replaced Martha Argerich on short notice in performances of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to critical acclaim. After just a few seasons she was working with such masters as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, Antonio Pappano, Charles Dutoit, and Zubin Mehta. The Grammy nominated musician has also released several recordings, including a live recording of Prokofiev’s Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with fellow Rolex Testimonee Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. Her performance of the Flight of the Bumble-Bee, embedded below, has received almost 5 million views on YouTube. 

For more information on Yuja Wang, including playlists, calendar and updates, visit yujawang.com. To learn more about Rolex and the Arts, visit rolex.com. 

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