Wang Jie
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Name
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Wang Jie
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Bio
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Many consider Wang Jie's stylistic versatility a rare trait among today's composers. One day she spins a few notes into a large symphony, the next she conjures a malevolent singing rat onto the opera stage. Unveiling beauty in this world, and paving new paths for lasting public engagement with classical music are at the heart of her artistry.
For the past three years running, Jie's "Symphony No. 1" has been the most-broadcast work on the most-listened-to classical music show on public radio. A popular concert opener, her "Symphonic Overture - America the Beautiful" is adored by tens and thousands of live audiences across the United States. During previous seasons, you might have heard about her pioneering opera “It Rained on Shakopee,” based on her mentoring experience at the Minnesota state prison. It all begins with a thrilling escape from a Shanghai-military-run kindergarten at the age of four. Apparently it was a rehearsal. Jie will tell you that acting on her beliefs has gotten her into trouble after trouble. But music critic Jay Nordlinger puts it this way: “Wang Jie is a clear communicator, whose love of music is obvious.”
Jie credits her mentors at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and NYU's PhD program for giving her the tools to materialize her artistic vision. Her career is made possible by trailblazers at New York City Opera, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic, etc. And she is continuously fueled by organizations that nodded at her endeavors, such as American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress, the McKnight Foundation, the V. Toulmin Foundation, to name a few. These lists are extensive, proof that the whole village must show up to bear witness as an artist struggles daily for her integrity. This daily practice, as James Baldwin says, must be considered as a metaphor for the universal struggle of all human beings to get to become human beings.
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