With the “pure poetry” of his playing (Seen and Heard International), pianist Derek Wang is drawing increasing acclaim from audiences and critics alike in wide-ranging appearances as soloist, collaborator, and communicator.

An eloquent proponent of the original works and virtuosic transcriptions of Franz Liszt, Derek was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition (Liszt Utrecht) in 2022. His final round performance with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic conducted by Christian Reif was hailed as “spectacular” by de Volkskrant. The prize, which includes three years of concert engagements, follows on the heels of first prize at the inaugural New York International Liszt Competition in 2021, for which he was awarded an all-Liszt debut recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Recent performances as recitalist nclude a five-concert tour of the Netherlands; debuts for the Fazioli Concert Hall series in Italy, the Nohant Festival Chopin in France, the American Liszt Society in New York, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and the Florida Keys Concert Association; and return engagements at the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and the Moab Music Festival in Utah. Orchestral collaborations include concertos with the Yale Philharmonia, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Southbank Sinfonia, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter as prizewinner of the 2024 Hastings International Piano Competition.

Deeply experienced in contemporary music, Derek held a three-summer-long fellowship position as pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble at the Aspen Music Festival under conductors Donald Crockett and Timothy Weiss, performing a total of over fifty works of the 20th and 21st centuries, including premieres of works by the festival’s composition fellows. Derek’s membership in the ensemble was capped with a performance as soloist in Unsuk Chin’s Double Concerto for Piano and Percussion alongside Colin McCall, percussion, and under the baton of Maurice Cohn. He has also appeared as soloist with the AXIOM Ensemble at The Juilliard School, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky, in works of John Adams (Grand Pianola Music) and Elliott Carter (Double Concerto for Piano and Harpsichord), both times alongside pianist Tengku Irfan.

Derek is widely praised for his ability to speak about music to audiences of all kinds, and in formats ranging from traditional pre-concert talks to podcasts and other digital media. In 2023, he produced a series of episodes of WQXR’s long-running Young Artists Showcase as guest host. Previously, Derek appeared on National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk video series as emcee and accompanist for From the Top, America’s leading showcase for young musicians.

In a multimedia collaboration between animation and music, Derek has performed the études of Chopin live as a synchronized soundtrack to the short film collection Magic Piano and The Chopin Shorts, produced by Academy Award winner Hugh Welchman. He has brought the family-friendly immersive concert experience to the Film Society of Lincoln Center for its 2012 premiere, to the Dallas Opera House, and on two tours of China that spanned nine cities. He has also performed and discussed the films’ impact on young audiences as a guest speaker at the EG conference in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and at the La Ciudad de Las Ideas conference in Puebla, Mexico.

Derek holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Juilliard, where he received a Kovner Fellowship and the Joseph W. Polisi Prize for exemplifying the school’s values of the artist as citizen. His principal teachers at Juilliard were Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Matti Raekallio. He continues studies at the Yale School of Music as an Artist Diploma candidate in the studio of Boris Slutsky.

For more information and the latest concert schedule, please visit www.derek-wang.com.

Updated March 2024. Please do not alter or abridge without permission.

With the “pure poetry” of his playing (Seen and Heard International), pianist Derek Wang is drawing increasing acclaim from audiences and critics alike in wide-ranging appearances as soloist, collaborator, and communicator.

A musically eloquent proponent of the original works and virtuosic transcriptions of Franz Liszt, Derek was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition (Liszt Utrecht) in the Netherlands in 2022, which followed on the heels of first prize at the inaugural New York Liszt Competition in 2021.

Recent performances include a five-concert tour of the Netherlands; debuts for the Fazioli Concert Hall series in Italy, the Nohant Festival Chopin in France, the American Liszt Society in New York, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and the Florida Keys Concert Association; and return engagements at the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and the Moab Music Festival in Utah. Orchestral collaborations include concertos with the Yale Philharmonia, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Southbank Sinfonia, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter as prizewinner of the 2024 Hastings International Piano Competition.

Deeply experienced in contemporary music, Derek held a three-summer-long fellowship position as pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble at the Aspen Music Festival, performing a total of over fifty works of the 20th and 21st centuries under conductors Donald Crockett and Timothy Weiss, including premieres of works by the festival’s composition fellows.

Derek is widely praised for his ability to speak about music to audiences of all kinds, and in formats ranging from traditional pre-concert talks to podcasts and other digital media. He is currently producing a series of episodes for WQXR’s long-running Young Artists Showcase as guest host. Previously, Derek appeared on National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk video series in 2018 as emcee and accompanist for From the Top, America’s leading showcase for young musicians.

Derek holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Juilliard, where he received a Kovner Fellowship and the Joseph W. Polisi Prize for exemplifying the school’s values of the artist as citizen. His principal teachers at Juilliard were Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Matti Raekallio. He continues studies at the Yale School of Music as an Artist Diploma candidate in the studio of Boris Slutsky.

For more information and the latest concert schedule, please visit www.derek-wang.com.

Updated March 2024. Please do not alter or abridge without permission.

With the “pure poetry” of his playing (Seen and Heard International), pianist Derek Wang is drawing increasing acclaim from audiences and critics alike in wide-ranging appearances as soloist, collaborator, and communicator. A musically eloquent proponent of the original works and virtuosic transcriptions of Franz Liszt, Derek was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition (Liszt Utrecht) in the Netherlands in 2022, which followed on the heels of first prize at the inaugural New York Liszt Competition in 2021. Deeply experienced in contemporary music, Derek held a three-summer-long fellowship position as pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble at the Aspen Music Festival under conductors Donald Crockett and Timothy Weiss, performing a total of over fifty works of the 20th and 21st centuries. Derek holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, where he received a Kovner Fellowship and the Joseph W. Polisi Prize for exemplifying the school’s values of the artist as citizen. He continues studies at the Yale School of Music as an Artist Diploma candidate. His principal teachers have included Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Matti Raekallio, and Boris Slutsky. For more information and the latest concert schedule, please visit www.derek-wang.com.

Updated March 2024. Please do not alter or abridge without obtaining permission.