Liang Wang
Liang Wang (born 1980) is the current principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic. He was born in Qing Dao, China, and studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory and at California’s Idyllwild Arts Academy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams. He was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School and at the Music Academy of the West.
Upon graduation from Curtis in 2003, he was offered a position as principal oboe of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, but turned it down in favor of the same position with the orchestra of the San Francisco Ballet. Shortly after that, he was appointed to the Associate Principal oboe chair of the San Francisco Symphony. Two weeks later he won an audition for principal oboe in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. While in that position, he was a finalist in auditions for principal oboe in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra. He won an audition for the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, but turned that down after winning an audition for principal oboe in the Santa Fe Opera.
He has won awards at the Spotlight Competition of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Pasadena Instrumental, Fernard Gillet International Oboe, and Tilden Prize competitions. He has twice received the Los Angeles Philharmonic Fellowship.
He was hired as principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 by Lorin Maazel. In this same week that he won this audition, he won an audition for principal oboe in the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, but turned down this position in favor of the Philharmonic.
