Chinese pianist Wang makes history at 66th Grammy Awards

On February 4, the curtain came down on the 66th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, United States. Notably, Chinese pianist Wang Yujia won the Grammy Award for best classical instrumental solo for her album "The American Project," marking a historic moment as the first Chinese pianist to win this award since its inception.

For those familiar with Wang's work, this award is well deserved.

Born in Beijing in 1987, Wang graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied under the guidance of piano maestro Gary Graffman.

Hailing from an artistic family in Beijing, Wang began her piano studies at the age of four and gradually revealed a remarkable musical talent in piano performance.

In early 2009, as she began to emerge on the global classical music scene, Wang signed with the world’s oldest and most prestigious classical music label, Deutsche Grammophon. Not only is she one of only three Chinese artists to be signed by this prestigious label, she also holds the distinction of being the youngest.

In 2023, Wang took center stage at the Carnegie Hall in New York, collaborating with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In a captivating performance lasting four and a half hours, she played four piano concertos by Rachmaninoff and the renowned "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini." The New York Times lauded it as a "once-in-a-lifetime" musical feast.

Upon her return to China in late 2023, Wang embarked on a 19-day, nine-city solo concert tour, creating a grand spectacle in the classical music world.

As the New York Times commented: "Virtuosity on this level, in material this ravishing, is elevating to witness – which is why, even after so many hours, I was left at the end feeling an exhilarated lightness. Like many others I saw, I drifted up the aisle and onto the street unable to stop smiling."