Arts Global

"Astonishing beauty and sensitivity."
-- Claude Franck, Internationally renowned pianist and pedagogue

Pianist Lei Weng was hailed as "the exceptionally brilliant Chinese pianist" in his Seattle debut with the Northwest Mahler Festival Symphony when he performed Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. New York Concert Review acclaimed Mr Weng for his Carnegie Hall sold-out debut as "a colorist of exemplary control and to be consistently solid" in his Carnegie Hall debut. Followed by an immediate re-invitation, Mr Weng returned to Carnegie Hall two months later, when New York Concert Review remarked, "Weng displayed a powerhouse technique and provided good contrast with delicate moments."

Mr Weng has won major national and international competitions, including the top prizes in the Isabel Scionti International Piano Competition and the Camerata Piano Competition, Silver Medal in the Wideman International Piano Competition and 3rd prize at the Kingsville International Competition. He was also a prizewinner in the China National Piano Competition, the TCU/Cliburn Competition and the Grace Welsh International Competition.

Mr Weng has performed throughout North America and Asia in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in New York, the Phillips Collections in Washington D.C., Meany Hall in Seattle, Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, Washington National Library in Chicago, Beijing Music Hall and the Banff Center in Canada. He has performed as soloist with orchestras of Cincinnati, Seattle, Indiana, Fort Worth, Shreveport, as well as China National Symphony and Chorus, Beijing Symphony and Tianjin Symphony. Mr Weng is a featured artist of the Prestige Artist Foundation in New York, and the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Mr Weng's performances have also been critically acclaimed as "spirited and full of nuances" by The Cincinnati Post. The Herald Times calls him "colorful and flamboyant" and claims "there can be no doubt of his proficiency". China's Tianjin Daily remarked on his "profound and immense artistry" and Scott Cantrell, music critic from the Dallas Morning News, wrote: "Fabulous playing -- really fresh, personal! I love the unpredictability, the willingness to take chances, not just to sound like someone else."

Mr Weng has worked closely and performed chamber music with such world-renowned musicians as James Levine, Emanuel Ax, Cho-liang Lin, Pamela Franck, Dawn Upshaw, Phyllis Curtin and members from the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony and Indianapolis Symphony. He has been invited to perform at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival, Linton Chamber Music series, Huntington Festival and the Messiaen Festival.

Engagements for Mr Weng in the 2008-2009 season include recitals in New York's Merkin Hall, University of Chicago, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Cincinnati, the Messiaen Festival and concert tours throughout Asia and Europe. He will be performing as soloist with UNC Symphony Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic, Orchestra Seattle, Taitung Symphony Orchestra, Qingdao Symphony and Tianjin Symphony Orchestra.

As a dedicated educator, Mr Weng is an Assistant Professor of Piano Performance at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches applied piano to talented students from the United States, Asia and Europe. Each year, he is invited by major conservatories in China, such as Central Conservatory, China Conservatory and Tianjin Conservatory, to present a series of recitals and masterclasses. Mr Weng will be touring and teaching in Asia again during the 2008-2009 season.

Mr Weng is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Colorado Piano Festival.

Mr Weng is the Guest Professor of the Tianjin Conservatory in China. 

Prestige Artist Management and Foundation provides management for Mr Weng in the North America.

For more information about Lei Weng, please check his biography at the University of Northern Colorado website.