Zitong Wang
Sunday, October 11, 2026 – 3:00 PM
Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College
“Without doubt the finest recital of the competition and perfectly in touch with the true soul and spirit of Chopin. For me an unforgettable, velvet-lined treasure box of gems.”
— michael-moran.com
Order Tickets >>>
Program
CHOPIN
3 Mazurkas, Op. 50
Nocturne in F Major, Op. 15 no. 1
BRAHMS
Handel Variations, Op. 24
CHOPIN
Nocturne in B Major, Op. 9 no. 3
Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35
Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
Zitong Wang's authenticity, bravura, and sensitivity have enchanted audiences over the years, particularly so at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, where she claimed the Bronze Medal and the Krystian Zimerman Award for the Best Performance of a Sonata.
Wang was born in 1999 into a family of piano educators in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. She started learning piano at 3 and attended the primary and secondary schools affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, studying under professors Chang Hua and Sheng Yuan.
In 2012, she was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied under pianists Meng-Chieh Liu and Eleanor Sokoloff, while learning harpsichord with Leon Schelhase as a minor subject. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Dang Thai Son.
Her 2026 engagements have included appearances at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Kyoto Concert Hall and Seoul Arts Center for the Chopin Competition Laureates Tour. Her China recital tour, starting in April, took her back to Beijing, where she made her solo debut at age thirteen.
Wang has shared the stage with major orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Galicia Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the New Jersey Symphony, NEC Philharmonia Orchestra (Boston), the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, and the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio.
Prior to the Chopin Competition, Wang won Sixth Prize and the Special Prize for the Performance of Contemporary Works at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. She also received First Prize in the 33rd Ferrol International Piano Competition and the Nelson Freire Prize for the Best Performance of a Work by Chopin (2022).
She has been featured on Deutsche Grammophon Stage+, Medici TV, Amadeus TV, WRTI, WHYY-TV, and All Classical Radio. Her performances from the Chopin Competition are featured on an album released by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute as part of its Blue Series of competition recordings in 2026.
Order Tickets >>>
“I just want to keep playing music. For me, music is something that heals me and is like my closest friend. The piano is where I can express everything, and music in general – not just piano – brings me peace.”
— Zitong Wang, interview by Kawai Global
“This pianist is naturally a deeply musical being.”
— michael-moran.com
“She achieved a remarkable ultra pianissimo which was deeply touching and emotional. In her varied waves of dynamics she expressed the many moods and episodic fantasies Chopin magically brings into being. Her soundscapes subtly merged into one another in long lines of expression and change… Silences were as important structurally and expressively as sound to this pianist. So rare… A fascinating performance.”
— michael-moran.com