Violinist Linda Wang joins your Fort Collins Symphony on October 2nd to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium. Signature Concert #1, Fury, Contemplation & Hope, Opens the 2021-22 season.
Ms. Wang made her concert debut with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic at the age of nine and has since performed concerti with over seventy-five orchestras nationally and internationally. She is String Chair and Professor of Violin at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and maintains a worldwide presence as a performer and educator.
What’s something that people would be surprised to hear about you?
I enjoy all kinds of crafting, also gardening and houseplants. My mother is a fabulous artist and during the pandemic, along with my sister and little niece, the four of us started meeting weekly for what we called ‘Camp Wang’. We create art inspired by our favorite painting, all through Skype. It’s fun to see the different interpretations we come up with!
What’s your favorite part of living in Colorado
The mountains! So many gorgeous hiking trails, the wildflowers in the summer and gold colors of fall…
What non-classic music or musicians do you enjoy?
My husband is a percussionist with a specialty in steel drums–such a celebratory sound.
What’s your relationship with the Bernstein Serenade? Have you performed it before?
I have performed it a number of times. First in Sacramento and later with the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra and the West Virginia Symphony.
Could you share some fun stories from other concerts?
Ah, the joys of live performance! I have many quirky stories such as performing a recital program in the dark when the power went out.
Another time the audience burst into a spontaneous happy birthday song for me.
And working on this piece, the Serenade, reminds me of an experience as a student performing in the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein conducting. The orchestra program was rained out mid-way through a concert at a large outdoor venue in Hamburg, so the Maestro entertained everyone playing solo piano, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. By the time we were able to play again, it was pitch dark and the audience pulled out their lighters and swayed to the music. It made for a very memorable experience.
during a rained-out concert
Join us!
You can see Linda Wang rehearse with the Fort Collins Symphony for free at the Open Rehearsal on Thursday, September 30th at 7:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Center.
The Fort Collins Symphony’s 2021-22 season opens with Fury, Contemplation & Hope, featuring violinist Linda Wang, on October 2nd, 2021, live and live-streamed at 7:30 p.m. MT at the Lincoln Center, or in webcast replay on October 10th at 2 p.m. Tickets, subscriptions, and discount bundles are available at LCTix.com.
