Wang Jie

She defies presumptions of appearance. She wears her heart on the sleeve. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, composer Wang Jie went to Ukraine to support the Lviv National Philharmonic in their war zone. The orchestra performed two of her symphonies, while live streaming the concert to a world-wide audience. Jie said: “Death doesn’t scare me. What I fear the most is if my music failed to move people who already love music, or failed to speak beyond all kinds of divide, be it geographical or cultural.” She is a frequent collaborator with organizations that vitalize the authenticity of Western classical music. Most recently, with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Charlotte Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center. Unveiling poetry in the human condition, re-bearing the beauty of classical music, and paving new paths for lasting public engagement are at the heart of her artistry.

In recent years, Jie’s “Symphony No. 1,” and “The Winter that United Us,” were among the most-broadcast symphonic work on public radio across the United States. A popular concert opener, her “Symphonic Overture – America the Beautiful” is adored by tens of thousands of live audiences in the US and EU. During previous seasons, you might have heard about her pioneering opera “It Rained on Shakopee,” based on her mentoring experience at a Minnesota state prison. Her career is made possible by trailblazers at The League of American Orchestras, American Composers Orchestra, Opera America, the Toulmin Foundation, to name a few. Wang Jie studied at the Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and holds a PhD in Theory and Composition from NYU. A serious pianist herself, Jie tirelessly mentors young composers with a focus on somatic, collaborative, and a musicianship-based approach in creativity. Born in Shanghai, Jie spent most of her life as a New Yorker.