DEREK WANG

The roots of Romanticism

by Luca Cossettini

Derek Wang defines himself as a pianist and communicator constantly attentive to musical and social issues. After graduating from the Juilliard School in New York, where he also studied harpsichord and fortepiano, he received the Peter Mennin Prize for his extraordinary achievements and, as a beneficiary of the Kovner Fellowship, he embarked on the specialization path with Stephen Hough and Veda Kaplinsky. In the summer of 2019, he became the pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and the Aspen Music Festival and School, collaborating with artists such as composer Vijay Iyer, violinist Robert McDuffie, and conductor Timothy Weiss. Also active in multimedia productions and author of soundtracks for short films, he recently launched the podcast series American Stories with violinist Sophia Stoyanovich, where music becomes a mirror of American current events, reflecting the stories of real characters.

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