“His talent and intense musical activity [are] remarkable.”
La Scena Musicale, Montreal
“An exceptional talent [with] mature artistic expression and dedication.”
International Concert Series, Victoria Guitar Society
Photo: Tengyue Zhang and Karina Rodríguez
ROBERT WANG. (b. 2000) explores sound (and smell). He aspires to challenge the traditional representation of classical guitar while juxtaposing music of the early and the contemporary. As a classical guitarist, early plucked string instrumentalist, and composer, his extensive repertoire features works from the Renaissance to the 21st century, often appearing in adventurous and multi-sensory pairings.
In addition to familiar works of classical guitar, Robert attends to contemporary compositions, orchestral arrangements, and solo works for other instruments. His versatility has led him to premiere Alexander Dunn’s arrangement of Sonata for Solo Violoncello by George Crumb. As the 2022-2023 GSI Foundation Scholar, Robert recorded a collection of solo works at Guitar Salon International, including the Crumb arrangement. He has performed in The Getty, Jordan Hall, and Phillip T. Young Recital Hall.
Robert is a historically informed performer, versed in playing basso continuo and solo on theorbo, lute, and baroque guitar. He is largely devoted to ensemble playing and has performed with Early Music Vancouver (Vespers of 1610), Ensemble Flame, The Golden Bridge, OperaNEO (Ariodante), Shunske Sato, Sibelius Academy Baroque Orchestra (King Arthur), and the USC Thornton Opera (Actéon). He is also a member of the USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia, featured on CBS Sunday Morning. With Ensemble Flame, he played theorbo in their recent album, O Mother What Shall I Do.
One of Robert’s interests is experimenting with the intersection of perfumery and music. Hosted by The Institute for Art and Olfaction, his self-launched project, FOOTPRINT (2022), is a reimagined classical/baroque guitar concert with custom-formulated perfumes (crafted by himself). The program featured works by Carter, Farintosh, Prokofiev, Santa Cruz, Sanz, and Scriabin.
Robert is pursuing an MM in Classical Guitar Performance at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he also earned his BM. He studies classical guitar with William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, and Pepe Romero, early plucked string instruments with Jason Yoshida, composition with Veronika Krausas, harpsichord with Ian Pritchard, and conducting with Jacob Sustaita. His past teachers include established guitarists Alexander Dunn and Eliot Fisk. Robert is a prize winner of several prestigious international competitions, including the first prize in the 2018 Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival Youth Competition.
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