Jian Wang
Cellist
Jian Wang began to study the cello with his father when he was four. While a student at the Shanghai Conservatoire, he was featured in the celebrated documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. Mr. Stern's encouragement and support paved the way for him to go to the United States and in 1985 he entered the Yale School of Music under a special programme where he studied with the renowned cellist Aldo Parisot.
Jian Wang has performed with many of the worlds leading orchestras, including Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, Chicago and Boston Symphonies, , London Symphony, the Halle, the BBC orchestras, Zurich Tonhalle, Gothenburg Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Cecilia, La Scala, Mahler Chamber, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philhamonic, and NHK Symphony. These concerts have been with many of the greatest conductors, such as Claudio Abbado, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Nemee Jarvi, Richardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Christopher Eschenbach, Myung-Whun Chung, Alan Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. As a jury member, Jian Wang has judged many of the most important competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Music Competition Cello Competition, the Queen Elizabeth Cello Competition, the Shanghai Isaac Stern Violin Competition and the Carl Nielsen Violin Competition.
Jian Wang has made many recordings, his latest releases being the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He has also recorded an album of short pieces for Cello and Guitar titled Reverie, the complete Bach Cello Suites and a Baroque Album with the Camerata Salzburg, Brahms Double Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado and Gil Shaham, the Haydn Concerti with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Muhai Tang, Messiaens Quartet for the End of Time (with Myung-Whun Chung, Gil Shaham and Paul Meyer) and Brahms, Mozart and Schumann chamber music with Pires and Dumay. His instrument is graciously loaned to him by the family of the late Mr. Sau-Wing Lam.
KAZUKO SHINOZAKI
Japanese Harpist
Japanese Harpist Kazuko Shinozaki was born in Tokyo, graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music and Nice Conservatory. She was elected to a fellowship and studied in France for two years from 2002 under the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists.
Studied under her mother Ayako Shinozaki, Josef Molnar, Marie-Claire Jamet, Michelle Vuillaume, Isabelle Moretti, and Germaine Lorenzini.
She won the First Prize at Junior Division of the 1992 Nippon Harp Competition, Second Prize at Junior Division of the 1993 Lily Laskine International Harp Competition, First Prize at Superior Degree of the 1998 UFAM International Music Competition, a prize of the 2001 and the 2004 USA International Harp Competition, 2006 Exxon Mobil Music Award –Promotion Division, and 2009 Idemitsu Music Award.
Released a solo album “Une chatelaine en sa tour” (Meister Music), “MOZART Konzert für Fl？te und Harfe und Orchester K.299” (Meister Music) with Shigenori Kudo (flute) etc.
As a solist, she has performed with New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo New City Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.
She has been invited to play regularly at festivals, concerts and in orchestra performances including: Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, Spring Festival in Tokyo.
She is currently teacher at Toho Gakuen School of Music and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, director of the Nippon (Japan) Harp Association.
