Student Profile: Chelsea Wang, Concerto Competition winner

For Concerts@Bienen's student spotlight series, we interviewed pianist Chelsea Wang, a 2023 winner of Northwestern's Concerto Competition. Chelsea will be playing with the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra on Thursday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.

Profile by Ylang Guo

How has your time at Northwestern shaped your musical journey and goals?

Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music has been an incredibly vital part of my life and has helped me clarify and work towards my aspirations as a musician and teaching artist. The demands—but also flexibility—of the wonderfully comprehensive DMA curriculum have allowed me to hone not only my skills as a pianist, but also to cultivate every other aspect of my life related to performance, outreach, and teaching. In addition, Bienen’s enriching environment goes beyond its beautiful facilities and abundant resources; the incredible community spirit within the school has also been a constant source of inspiration for me. From the mentorship of so many dedicated and wonderful professors I have worked with so far (including Dr. Giles, Professor Ashley, Dr. Paulin, and Dr. Wang), to the many colleagues and friends I’ve met throughout my studies, there is a strong force of mutual musical passion that exists at Bienen, and that energy translates powerfully into the work that I do daily in every facet of my musical life.

Are there any personal touches or nuances in the Mozart concerto that you would like the audience to listen for?

This C minor Mozart Concerto is a masterpiece and one of my personal favorites. There are many unique qualities about this concerto: firstly, it’s one of just a few compositions Mozart wrote in the key of C minor. In addition, it has the largest orchestration of all of his piano concerti and is the only one to include both oboe and clarinet together! The entire work is truly perfectly crafted, with so many special moments between the solo piano and the woodwinds. It’s intense, operatic, optimistic, and incredibly introspective all in one. In between listening to two very intense outer movements, I hope that the audience will sit back and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the middle movement, which has one of the most simple but purest melodies Mozart ever wrote.

Please share any advice you have regarding nerves and stage fright.

There is no doubt that every musician fights nerves before a performance, no matter how successful they are, or even after the 1000th performance of their career. Personally, at this point I’ve just accepted that it will always be a part of what I do, and I’ve tried to shift my perspective about getting nervous and feeling stage fright towards a more positive outlook. Instead of having nerves cripple me mentally, I remind myself the obvious: “nerves are good, it means you care," and I also tell myself that audience members are not your enemy and are not there to wait for you to make a mistake. If anything, they’re our biggest cheerleaders and want to see us shine while having the best time doing what we love. That shift in mindset has really helped me keep my cool before going on stage.

Are there any specific artists whose work has influenced you?

I grew up listening to recordings (and still do) of Vladimir Horowitz, Martha Argerich, Richard Goode, and Leon Fleisher (whom I had the privilege of studying with during the final years of his life). All of these pianists have left an indelible mark on my approach to music and my personal interpretations. But I also find tons of inspiration outside of classical music, from dance and visual arts (Monet, Cezanne, and Picasso) to film and literature. I constantly find myself relating to imagery from other art forms while playing piano.

Who are the people who have inspired you most on your musical journey?

I have been inspired by each and every one of my piano teachers and many other musical mentors along the way. My first teachers before college helped me with all the musical foundations and prepared me for what to expect in the world of music. My teachers and mentors throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies helped me find my own personal voice and further my potential as an artist, and my present doctoral studies at Bienen under the guidance of Dr. Giles have continued everything mentioned before, and additionally helped clarify the type of career path that I want to take with my specific skill sets. I’m extremely grateful for everyone who has helped me throughout my musical journey so far.