Pianist Yuja Wang is celebrated for her charismatic artistry, emotional honesty and captivating stage presence. She has performed with the world’s most venerated conductors, musicians and ensembles, and is renowned not only for her virtuosity, but her spontaneous and lively performances, famously telling the New York Times “I firmly believe every program should have its own life, and be a representation of how I feel at the moment.”
Yuja was born into a musical family and began studying the piano at the age of six. She received advanced training in Canada and at the Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007, when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and albums. Her recordings have garnered multiple awards, including five Grammy nominations and her first Grammy win for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with her 2023 release of “The American Project”. For this she also won an Opus Klassik award in the concerto category.
Recent projects include a collaborative project with David Hockney at London’s Lightroom, play-direct tours with the Mahler Chamber to Europe and South America, an international duo recital tour with pianist Vikingur Olafsson and a residency with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
The 2025/26 season will see Yuja open the seasons of many major US Orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall where she will play direct the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. Among her orchestral performances, she will embark on a major European tour with the Swedish Radio Orchestra. Other orchestral appearances this season include performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Her play directing continues with tours with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra to Spain and the US and she will give a recital tour throughout Asia. In November 2025, Playing with Fire: An immersive odyssey with Yuja Wang will open at the Paris Philharmonie. This groundbreaking, multi-sensory installation will take visitors behind the scenes and offer a rare perspective on the emotion and artistry behind Yuja’s performances.
November 2025
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
