Wenting Kang
Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain
MMB Alumna
Chinese violist Wenting Kang appeared as an “excellent violist” who “possesses a dark glowing sound” in the New York Times after her performance in the Marlboro Music Festival tour performance at Carnegie Hall. Kang’s playing also has been lauded as “elegant”, “precise” as well as “pure”, "tone-passionate without ever losing a sense of control" in the Boston Musical Intelligencer.
Her debut CD recording with pianist Sergei Kvitko “Mosaic” was released in 2022. Among many positive reviews, Gramophone Magazine noted “Part of the allure is her golden and glowing tone but the subtlety of her shading is just as transfixing.” “Her technique is close to flawless” “A terrific programme in every way”. It has won the gold medal as recommended CD on the Melómano Magazine in Spain. Its tracks were selected to be on the “Best New Classical Music” playlist on Spotify as well as the “New Music Friday” playlist of American Society of Composers and Publishers. Previously, Kang has collaborated with Gil Rose and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and released the recording of Serenade No. 1 of George Perle.
As a soloist, Kang performed the Bartok Concerto with Ivor Bolton and Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, the Elgar Concerto with José María Moreno and the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Walton Concerto with Michiyoshi Inoue and Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Don Quixote with Misha Maisky and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. The other orchestras she appeared as a soloist include the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, the Tokyo TOHO Gakuen Orchestra, Orquesta Clásica Santa Cecilia, Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra. She has been actively concertizing in Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Romania, the USA, Israel, China, and Japan.
Kang has been invited to numerous international festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Steans Institute at Ravinia Festival, Yellow Barn, Monadnock Festival, Morningside Music Bridge, Kronberg Academy’s Chamber Music Connects the Wolrd, Kronberg Mit Musik-Miteinander, Virtuoso and Belcanto Festival, Academie de Musique Flaine, and the Viola Space Festivals both in Tokyo and Taiwan. During 2018 and 2020 she was active as a member of the Dalia String Quartet. Additionally, from 2017 she joined the Imai Viola Quartet as a founding member.
Kang studied at Central Conservatory in Beijing, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and, as a young soloist for further master degree at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, under the guidance of renowned teachers such as Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, and Changhai Wang.
Kang was the recipient of the 1st Prize in the Tokyo International Viola Competition in 2012. Previously, she had won prizes in events such as the Johannes Brahms International Competition, the Primrose International Viola Competition, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante Competition at New England Conservatory, and National Viola Competition in China.
Currently, Kang is active as assistant professor for the international viola class of Nobuko Imai at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. Most recent, she opened her class as professor at Escuela Superior de Música Forum Musikae in Madrid in 2020. In recent years, Kang has taught masterclasses for viola and chamber music in prestigious institutions such as Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Franz Liszt Academy of Music. She was invited to give masterclasses in various festivals throughout Europe and Asia.
Actively working in ensembles, Kang is the principal violist of Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid at Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) of Spain. Since 2017, she joined Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra as founding member and principal violist. She was member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 2014 to 2016. Among the major orchestras which invited her as guest principal violist are la Orquesta Titular del Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Aalborg Symphonieorchester, la Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña.
