Ryan Wang is a Canadian

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. He has performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and was featured on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

''.

Early life and education

Ryan Wang is from

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet to the northwest of the city ...

and started playing piano at the age of four with Ms. Fafan Xiao. From 2013, he studied with Professor Lee Kum Sing and Dr. Sunsung Kong. He was awarded a music scholarship to

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

at the age of 13.

Career

Wang was only five years old in 2013 when he performed his first solo recital at

. He was selected for the performance as part of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition and played ''Variations on a Russian Theme''. He placed second in the competition. Shortly after his performance at Carnegie Hall, Wang appeared on ''

'', where he again performed ''Variations on a Russian Theme''. Wang has played with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra and the

Shanghai Symphony The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Long Yu. Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the Shanghai Public Band, expanding i ...

and performed in

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities suc ...

and Italy's Fazioli Hall.

Awards

Among his awards are first-prize finishes in the 2019 Seattle International Piano Competition, 2019 Edith Lando Gifted Youth Competition, 2021 Young Euregio Piano Award Competition, 2021 Gustav Mahler Piano Competition, the 29th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Youth in Szafarnia Poland, 2022 Chicago International Music Competition, 2022 Paderewski International Piano Competition and the 2022 International Piano Competition ‘SAMSON FRANCOIS’. From 2015 to 2019, Wang participated in the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy where he gave solo recitals and performed concertos with the Festival Orchestra. He was the recipient of the Gabora Prize in 2017 and the Audience Favorite Award of Best Musician in 2019. In 2017 and 2019, Wang was the recipient of the Emerging Artist Grant from the Vancouver Academy of Music. In October 2024, Wang won the prestigious

BBC Young Musician BBC Young Musician is a televised national music competition broadcast biennially on BBC Television and BBC Radio 3. Originally BBC Young Musician of the Year, its name was changed in 2010. The competition, a former member of the European Uni ...

Award. His performance of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto in the Final, held at

Bristol Beacon Bristol Beacon, previously Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust. The hall opened as a con ...

, was described by one of the judges as world class.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Canadian pianists Collingwood School alumni {{Canada-classical-musician-stub