ARIEL WANG
NPR's From the Top Press Release on October 25, 2020
"The Phillips Trio performs on Show 392 from Turtle Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 25, 2020.
The Phillips Trio is comprised of Luke Henderson (violin), 17; Evan Tsai (cello), 17; and Ariel Wang (piano), 17. They are all seniors at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and study music through New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston. Good friends who love playing music together, Luke, Evan, and Ariel originally formed their trio as a way to have fun and relieve stress, but they eventually went on to enter – and take home first prize! – in the Junior Strings Division of the 47th Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition."
Phillips Academy Andover Press Release on May 12, 2020
"The Phillips Trio has been honored with first prize in the 47th Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. This is the most prestigious worldwide competition for young musicians. Andover music students have placed in this competition before, but this is the first time an all-Andover group has won gold.
Since its founding, more than 6,800 musicians have participated in the competition, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in performance and education. This year, there were 130 chamber groups from 30-plus countries. Due to the pandemic, each applicant submitted videos online which were reviewed by a panel of renowned professional musicians. Bravo to these fantastic students, not only for their performances but for adapting to a virtual stage!
The Phillips Trio is composed of three students from the Class of 2021. Ariel Wang (piano), Luke Henderson (violin), and Evan Tsai (cello) decided to form the group as a result of three years of friendship and a lifetime love of chamber music. The group came together in the fall of 2019, with the goal of sharing music with the school and surrounding communities..."
The Phillipian Featured Interview on September 12, 2019
"Fellow musician and friend Luke Henderson ’21 is impressed by Wang’s motivation and high level of skill in both the flute and piano.
'The fact that she plays two instruments, the piano and the flute at such a high level is amazing. It’s really cool to know that people I have worked with and people I go to school with are part of such big things,' said Henderson.
Many of Wang’s peers and teachers recognize her talent and versatility as a musician. According to Jacoby, he feels confident when giving a difficult piece to Wang, knowing she would work hard and be able to play it.
Classmate Evan Tsai ’21, a bassist and cellist, said, 'I think the amount of effort she puts into her playing and the virtuosity she displays during not just performances, but also rehearsal really sets her apart from other pianists.'
Wang cites Michelle Obama as a major source of inspiration in both her life and her music, mentioning a passage in Obama’s memoir about how music gave her a peaceful home-like environment. She also credits classical pianist Evgeny Kissin and pop artist Beyonce as sources of inspiration for her music. According to Wang, one morning before a competition, she was watching Beyonce’s documentary 'Homecoming' for motivation."
Growing up, Ariel Wang loved Harry Potter ("even now, I'm still learning lessons from the characters in that story") which may explain her wizardry on not one but two instruments. Don't believe us? She toured Portugal in March as principal flutist of the Phillips Academy Chamber Orchestra (she's in Grade 11 there while studying music at the nearby New England Conservatory) and earlier this summer she attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute's flute workshop. She then headed to the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C., on a merit scholarship in piano, where she was one of five winners of the concerto competition. She got to play the first movement of Rach 2 with orchestra on July 25 as a result. (Was she channelling her piano hero, Evgeny Kissin? "[He] has reserves of power that I really hope to replicate," Wang says.)
In June, she won first prize (piano) in the senior category of the American Fine Arts Festival's Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition. As part of that prize, she'll play Schumann's Fantasiestücke in November at Carnegie Hall. Perhaps Beyoncé can take some of the credit: "Homecoming was so powerful to me," reflects Wang, "and watching her confident, passionate performance (five times in the first weekend it came out) was incredibly inspirational to my own musical performance." Oh, and one of Wang's poems was recently published in her school's literary magazine, no big deal.
CBC News Release on August 7, 2019
New England Conservatory Press Release on July 31, 2019
"Ariel Wang, age 15, has been announced as one of five young musicians to win the Eastern Music Festival's annual Concerto Competition.
Ariel is a student in NEC's Preparatory School, where she studies piano with HaeSun Paik, Sangyoung Kim, and Wha Kyung Byun. She also plays with the Youth Repertory Orchestra."
Greensboro.com News Release on July 18, 2019
"An Eastern Music Festival audience will watch top students solo with the Young Artist Orchestras in the July 25 Concerto Competition winners’ concert. More than 90 students competed, with five students declared winners: two cellists, a violinist, a pianist and a flutist.
'Each season, I am impressed by the musicianship and talent of these young artists in our annual concerto competition,' EMF resident conductor José-Luis Novo said in a news release.
'This year was a record-high number of interested artists participating,” Novo said. “Their artistry, mature sounds and genuine passion for their craft continue to inspire me and the whole festival.' Resident conductors Novo and Grant Cooper will lead the two student orchestras in the evening’s celebratory concert...
Ariel Wang, 15, will play the first movement of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2. She began studying piano at age 2 and, at 10, performed her first solo recital in her hometown of Vancouver, B.C. At 10, she won first prize in the American Protégé International Competition 2014. She performed at Carnegie Hall and won the Judges’ Distinction Award as the youngest on stage. Wang studies piano at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School."
Waltham Wicked Local Interview on October 28, 2018
"My favourite part of being a musician is the feeling when you play with other people. I remember the first time I played in a wind ensemble on the flute, when we were playing a very simple Mozart piece to warm up. But when the entire first row of flutes lifted our instruments up in unison, I had to fight the smile off my face in order to play my notes! Now, I think that everything is a little more special when you play with others beside you, and you connect all your individual ideas and personalities. I love how the sound of a flute or piccolo, which are not loud instruments, becomes so unique when it is a part of a full orchestra..."
"温哥华的12岁华裔女童王子芊，凭着出色的钢琴造诣，赢得8月24日举行第二届香港国际音乐节2015音乐比赛青年组金奖，以及少年组的银奖。当中她所获金奖，更是越级挑战年纪较大的选手，取得的成绩让评委和观众均大为赞赏。......"
12岁钢琴好手王子芊 跨龄参赛创佳绩
世界日报 World Journal Report on September 2, 2015
「第二届香港国际音乐节」日前在香港举行，王子芊不但参加了适合少年组钢琴比赛（12至15岁），还跨年龄参加了16岁以上的青年组钢琴比赛，她以最低小年龄获得青年组第一名金奖，并捧回了少年组的第二名银奖，其后参加优胜者音乐会，获得观众阵阵喝彩。
Canadian Music Competition Vancouver News Release on June 5, 2013
"Congratulations to 2013 CMC BC National Finalists in the piano 9 years old category Ariel Wang & Julie Wu who received Gold Medals at the International Young Musicians Festival “Passion of Music 2013” and were invited to perform at the Winners’ Concert at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 20, 2013."
North Shore News Report on July 3, 2013
"ARIEL Wang, 9, a Grade 4 student at Irwin Park elementary, was recently invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Wang was invited to perform at the winners concert as a gold medal winner of the International Young Gifted Musicians Festival Passion Of Music 2013 in April. Presented annually by the American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented, the festival has been established as an entry into the world of classical music performance for those who deeply love music..."