Sean Y. Wang
Visiting Associate Professor of Violin

e-mail: sywang@uh.edu
office: MSM 203
office phone: (713)743-3154
address: 120 School of Music Bldg, Houston, TX 77204-4017

Violinist Sean Yung-Hsiang Wang holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. A versatile musician, he also has a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Juilliard School as a recipient of the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship, as well as a joint Ph.D. in musicology and humanities from Stanford University. He came from Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, where he was on the violin and music history faculty.

Wang has performed widely in the United States, Europe, and Asia, with appearances at prominent venues (e.g., Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall) and festivals (e.g., OK Mozart International, San Luis Obispo Mozart, Thy, Schleswig-Holstein, Evian). With interest in a wide array of repertories, he was violinist-in-residence of the esteemed Guild of Composers in New York City in 1996-98 (in which capacity he premiered numerous contemporary compositions), and was active as a baroque violinist on the West Coast. Since winning First Prize at Taiwan’s National Violin Competition at age 13, he has been featured by the National Public Television of Taiwan, Nashville Public Television, as well as radio stations in the United States and abroad. He is a founding member of Trio Solari (with clarinetist Chad Burrow and pianist Amy Cheng), and currently performs with Brightmusic Ensemble (Oklahoma City, OK), Musiqa (Houston, TX), and IRIS Orchestra (Germantown, TN).

In the field of musicology, Wang is interested in performance issues in historical contexts, and has presented research papers at numerous national and international conferences. His Ph.D. dissertation investigates the relationship between tempo and character in the music of Brahms. In the classroom setting, he has taught historical and theoretical topics ranging from medieval monophony to electronic music. In addition, on the podium, he has led orchestras of the Juilliard School and Stanford University in symphonic and operatic performances.

Wang’s principal violin teachers have included Rafael Druian, Sylvia Rosenberg, Lynn Chang, and Kathy Judd. He also studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller, musicology with William Mahrt (principal advisor), and music theory with Jacques-Louis Monod.