Supported by Texas Ballet Theater
made possible by a generous grant from Anne T. & Robert M. Bass
Learn more about Texas Ballet Theater: https://texasballettheater.org/about/

SIZHE WANG 王思哲
China I 14

2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
Preliminary Round Recital
Friday, June 9, 2023
Caruth Auditorium at SMU I Dallas, Texas USA

LYADOV “Prélude” and “Valse” from Trois morceaux, op. 57
BACH Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 861
RACHMANINOV Étude-tableau in F-sharp Minor, op. 39, no. 3
CHOPIN Rondo à la mazur in F Major, op. 5

About Sizhe Wang
“To me, the existence of Classical Music in our modern generation is so mysteriously attractive, with such beautiful ancient color and light that nothing in this real world can compare with. It’s like a timeless fruit for the development of our civilization.”

Sizhe Wang began learning and practicing Chinese calligraphy at the age of 4, earlier than the piano. He remains deeply committed to the artform, which he says “constantly gives me fresh inspiration about music;” he is also “moved by the magical combination of ‘when East meets West,’” himself being “deeply rooted in East Asian culture” while learning and performing music from the West. He’s studied piano with with his current teacher, Vivian Li, for seven years and has attended the Middle School affiliated to Xinghai Conservatory of Music since 2021. Competition prizes include contests in Germany, Poland, China, and the United States; in 2017, at the age of 9, he made both his recital debut in Guangzhou and his concerto debut in Todi, Italy. The Cliburn Junior will be his first in-person piano competition in three years; “it will be the most phenomenal highlight of my life so far.” Outside of the arts, Sizhe is a competitive swimmer who led his school’s swimming team to the national finals of the men’s 100m freestyle in the junior category. He’s also a big fan of trains and railroads, and has a significant collection of materials related to the railroad development of Southern China.