February 23, 2005 -

Ottawa, Canada -- Yuja Wang, the brilliant young pianist who dazzled two packed houses of National Arts Centre Orchestra patrons earlier this month when she filled in on short notice for the legendary Radu Lupu, returns to give a recital on the Aber Diamond Debut Series presented by the National Arts Centre and CBC Radio Two. The concert takes place on Friday, February 25 at noon in the Foyer of the NAC.  The 80-minute recital of music by Scarlatti, Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev is hosted by Eric Friesen and will be broadcast live-to-air on his Radio Two programme Studio Sparks.

Admission is $3.00 with all proceeds going to the NAC Orchestra Bursary Trust Fund. Seating is available on a first come-first served basis. Additional donations to the Fund are greatly appreciated.

The Beijing-born Yuja Wang has had her 18^th birthday since her NAC Orchestra concerts on February 8 and 9 – a performance which prompted Le Droit critic Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer to declare “A star is born”.

She has been a frequent prizewinner in National and International competitions, including first prize in the Huapu Cup National Piano Competition, the First “Mido” Concours De Tiano Sino-Francais, the Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition and the Veo Internacional Primer Premio in Spain. She released her debut CD in 1995 and has received critical acclaim in the press and from the music community wherever she has performed.

As an active performer, Yuja Wang has given recitals in Beijing, Zhuhai, Shijizhuang, Harbin and Urmuqi in China. In May 1999 she visited France and performed in the winner concert for the “Mido” Concours De Tiano Sino-Francais. She has also performed in Australia, at the International Chopin Festival in Duszniki, and the International Chopin conference in Warsaw. She has performed frequently as a concerto soloist in China.

Yuja Wang will perform Scarlatti’s Sonata in D major, K. 491 and Sonata in D minor, K. 141, Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 “Funeral March”, Scriabin’s Étude in D-sharp minor, “Patetico” and Étude in C-sharp minor, Rachmaninov’s Polka de W.R. and Prokofiev’s Toccata, Op. 11.

The Aber Diamond Debut Series showcases talented young musicians from Canada and around the world. The recitals take place in the Foyer of the NAC, and each is broadcast live-to-air across Canada on Eric Friesen’s new afternoon programme Studio Sparks on CBC Radio Two. On concert days, Eric Friesen will broadcast his full three-hour show from the NAC Foyer from 11:00 to 14:00, with the recital presented in the middle hour at noon. Listeners can tune in from noon to 15:00 to hear the recital at 13:00.

For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca

Jill LaForty,
CBC Radio Network Producer
(613) 288-6461