Wang Jie (composer)
Encyclopedia
Wang Jie (b 1980) is a prominent Chinese-born American composer
.
Wang Jie was born and raised in Shanghai
. She was a known piano prodigy
at age five. A scholarship
from the Manhattan School of Music
brought her to the US, in 2000, where she studied composition
with Nils Vigeland
and Richard Danielpour
. Her work has been performed across the United States
, Asia
, and Europe
. She has received honors and awards from ASCAP, the BMI Foundation
, the American Music Center
, Opera America
, and the Manhattan School of Music
, amongst others.
While still a student, her tragic opera Nannan was showcased by the New York City Opera's
VOX, Contemporary Opera Lab. Flown, a chamber opera
meditation on two lovers who must separate, was produced by the Music Theatre Group, and the Emily Dickenson-inspired song cycle
I Died for Beauty was featured at the opening ceremony
of the Beijing
Modern Music Festival. Her piano trio
, Shadow, which dramatizes the inner life of an autistic child
, was performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble as curtain-raiser for the Museum of Modern Art's
Summergarden concert series.
As the first composer awarded the Milton Rock Fellowship prize, she was commissioned to compose the environmentally-aware
ballet
Five Phases of Spring for Philadelphia's Rock School for Dance Education, and her Death of Socrates won the Northridge Composition Prize.
Her Symphony No. 1 (Awakening) was featured by the Minnesota Orchestra
at the 2010 Future Classics concert, and a new work is in process for the 45th anniversary celebration of Continuum at Lincoln Center.
John Corigliano
described Symphony No. 1 (Awakening) as 'gorgeously written – she knows how to take a few notes and spin them into a large form – a rare trait in today's composers. Robert Beaser
described her work as of 'elegance and elemental clarity', the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
characterizing it as 'scrupulously crafted composition that embraces both Chinese and Western modern classical expression,'
From the Other Sky, awarded the American Composers Orchestra's
Underwood Commission, a 'charming multimedia-comic-opera-meets-song-cycle in four scenes' premiered
at Carnegie Hall 15 October 2010 to positive notices such as that of Steve Smith of The New York Times, who noted the work's 'vibrant, polished' quality.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Wang Jie was born and raised in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. She was a known piano prodigy
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
at age five. A scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
from the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
brought her to the US, in 2000, where she studied composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
with Nils Vigeland
Nils Vigeland
Nils Vigeland is an American composer and Pianist.- External links :**...
and Richard Danielpour
Richard Danielpour
Richard Danielpour is an American composer.-Biography:Danielpour is born of Persian/Jewish descent. He studied at Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory of Music, and later at the Juilliard School of Music, where he received a DMA in composition in 1986...
. Her work has been performed across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. She has received honors and awards from ASCAP, the BMI Foundation
BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 by executives of Broadcast Music Incorporated for the purpose of "encouraging the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, internships, grants, and commissions." Additionally, the Foundation makes...
, the American Music Center
American Music Center
The American Music Center is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the creating, performing, and enjoying new American music. The organization was founded in 1939 by composers Marion Bauer, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, and Quincy Porter.The organization has a...
, Opera America
Opera America
Opera America, officially OPERA America, is a service organization in North America promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera...
, and the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
, amongst others.
While still a student, her tragic opera Nannan was showcased by the New York City Opera's
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
VOX, Contemporary Opera Lab. Flown, a chamber opera
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
meditation on two lovers who must separate, was produced by the Music Theatre Group, and the Emily Dickenson-inspired song cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
I Died for Beauty was featured at the opening ceremony
Opening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
of the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Modern Music Festival. Her piano trio
Piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
, Shadow, which dramatizes the inner life of an autistic child
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, was performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble as curtain-raiser for the Museum of Modern Art's
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
Summergarden concert series.
As the first composer awarded the Milton Rock Fellowship prize, she was commissioned to compose the environmentally-aware
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
Five Phases of Spring for Philadelphia's Rock School for Dance Education, and her Death of Socrates won the Northridge Composition Prize.
Her Symphony No. 1 (Awakening) was featured by the Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
at the 2010 Future Classics concert, and a new work is in process for the 45th anniversary celebration of Continuum at Lincoln Center.
John Corigliano
John Corigliano
John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
described Symphony No. 1 (Awakening) as 'gorgeously written – she knows how to take a few notes and spin them into a large form – a rare trait in today's composers. Robert Beaser
Robert Beaser
Robert Beaser is an American composer.-Biography:Beaser was brought up in a non-musical family. His father was a physician and mother was a chemist. He grew up in Newton, Massachusetts where he distinguished himself at a young age as a percussionist, composer and conductor...
described her work as of 'elegance and elemental clarity', the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
characterizing it as 'scrupulously crafted composition that embraces both Chinese and Western modern classical expression,'
From the Other Sky, awarded the American Composers Orchestra's
American Composers Orchestra
The American Composers Orchestra is an American orchestra based in New York City. It is the only orchestra in the world dedicated solely to the creation, performance, preservation, and promulgation of music by American composers...
Underwood Commission, a 'charming multimedia-comic-opera-meets-song-cycle in four scenes' premiered
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
at Carnegie Hall 15 October 2010 to positive notices such as that of Steve Smith of The New York Times, who noted the work's 'vibrant, polished' quality.
For Orchestra
- Deer Cry (2004)
- Three Miniature Pieces for Orchestra (2004)
- Death of Socrates (2006)
- The Book of Songs – Swamp's Shore (2007)
- Fanfare for Orchestra (2007)
- Requiem (2007)
- Symphony No. 1 (2008)
- Five Faces of Joy (2009)