Bard Faculty News
Yi-Wen Jiang
Violin
Academic Program Affiliation(s): Bard Conservatory of Music, Bard Conservatory of Music: Graduate Instrumental Arts, Bard Conservatory of Music: Violin
Violinist Yi-Wen Jiang was born in Beijing into a family with a strong musical tradition. His father served as a concertmaster for more than 35 years, and his mother was a soprano soloist. Jiang’s path was revealed at the age of three, when hearing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto awakened in him the desire to become a professional violinist.
Jiang made his concerto debut in Beijing at the age of 17. He won the top prize at the inaugural China Youth Violin Competition and went on to study with Professor Han Li at the Central Conservatory of Music. He subsequently received a full scholarship from McDonnell Douglas to attend the St. Louis Conservatory and moved to the United States in 1985, studying with Taras Gabora and Michael Tree. After his years in St. Louis, he entered the graduate program at Rutgers University, where he studied for four years with Arnold Steinhardt. Jiang credits Steinhardt with having the most profound influence on his playing, followed by highly influential master classes with Pinchas Zukerman. Following his prize-winning performance at the Montreal International Competition, he appeared as a soloist with the Victoria Symphony and Montreal Symphony and, by the age of 22, had been featured at numerous international music festivals.
Jiang’s 26-year tenure with the Shanghai Quartet, beginning in 1994, encompassed more than 3,000 concerts in 37 countries. The ensemble’s extensive collaborations included performances with the Tokyo, Juilliard, and Guarneri Quartets; cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell; and pianists Ruth Laredo, Menahem Pressler, Peter Serkin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yuja Wang. Many of these artistic collaborations developed into lasting friendships. The Shanghai Quartet was also a regular presence at many of the most prestigious music festivals throughout Europe and North America.
As a composer and arranger, Jiang has developed a distinctive voice, creating works that reflect both Eastern and Western musical influences. Most recently, he has completed a collection of 30 arrangements and transcriptions for violin and piano, bringing his experience as a performer to music ranging from the Classical and Romantic repertoire to the early twentieth century.
Particularly notable is ChinaSong, his collection of arrangements of Chinese folk songs, inspired in part by his childhood experiences during the Cultural Revolution in China. The Shanghai Quartet, joined by flutist Eugenia Zukerman, recorded a collection of 24 of these arrangements, released by Delos International in 2002. In 2018, Flower City Publishing House in Guangzhou published a collection of 38 of his arrangements.
Jiang is a founding faculty member of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.