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EARLY NOTES Born in Beijing in 1987, Yuja Wang showed remarkable promise from an early age, beginning piano lessons at six and studying at the Beijing Conservatory before moving to Canada. By 15, she won the Aspen Music Festival concerto competition, launching a professional career while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when, at just 20, she stepped in for Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra—a performance that drew widespread acclaim and announced her arrival on the world stage. Since then, Wang has built a vast repertoire spanning Baroque to contemporary works, embracing composers from Scarlatti to Ligeti. In 2009, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, resulting in a series of award-winning recordings that earned five Grammy nominations, including her first win in 2024 for The American Project. Known for her virtuosity and bold artistic choices, Wang has collaborated with leading orchestras and conductors—including Gustavo Dudamel and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In 2023, she performed all four Rachmaninoff piano concertos plus the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in a single Carnegie Hall concert, a marathon performance that showcased both technical brilliance and stamina.