Wang Yaping is originally from Taipei, Taiwan, from a working class family and has a sister and brother.
Yaping started playing the piano when she was 5 and soon started the Yangqin(揚琴) . At the age 15, she entered National Taiwan Conservatory of Art (國立藝專) and received her bachelor’s in 2002. Five years later she
received her Composition Master’s Degree at The State University of New York at Buffalo and started lecturing in the Music department of Chinese Culture
University. In 2013-2014, Yaping received a residency grant from
the Ministry of Culture (中華民國文化部) for Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
Currently Yaping lives in Paris performing around the city for many established
ensembles. (see “My Work” page for further detail)
Yaping Wang's music has a fusion of
contemporary and traditional aesthetics. She has been composing for theatre,
media and many experimental crossover projects. In 2012, she directed her first
musical theatre piece “Parody” at the National Theatre Hall in Taiwan.
Yaping Wang started professionally performing
in 1995, and frequently performed at Taiwan State Banquet for
multiple year. Yaping has performed around the world including Buffalo
Albright Knox Art Gallery, Disney World, Jewish Festival, Cité
international des Arts à Paris, and MOMA contemporary museum in New York. She
has been invited to perform with many professional musical groups in Taiwan,
such as Taipei National orchestra, BCC Chinese orchestra, Taipei artist chorus,
Classic Chinese ensemble, Major C ensemble, and Grass-Mountain Folk Orchestra.
She represented the Taiwan Ministry of Culture in USA. She was also a
spokesperson musician of the Taiwan foundation for rare disorder for donation raising
and held a TV shows as the Yangqin solist in BlTV chanel
2000-2001. October 2013, Cimbalom world association congress had a lecture
analysing her Yangqin music.
At a young age, Yaping Wang’s musical talents
won many accolades. In 1997 she received Excellent Yangqin Prize for from
Chinese Music Association, Taiwan. The following year, Yaping received Yangqin
winner of the concerto prize in National Taiwan Conservatory of Art. Her vocal piece "Ikkaku Sennin,"
inspired by Japanese Noh and Indian fairy tale, was one of the “Vocal piece of
the year” in 2009 of International Society for Contemporary Music, Taiwan. Yaping Wang was the
recipient of the “Young star new vision 2012 Award” in music by National
Culture Foundation. Yaping was also featured on the album “Traveller” and was
nominated as best traditional music album of Golden Melody Award 2012 in
Taiwan.
1997 Yangqin soloist
Excellent Prize, Chinese Music Association.
1998 Yangqin Concerto
Prize, National Taiwan Conservatory of Art.
2009 Vocal piece of the years, International
Society for Contemporary Music, Taiwan.
2012 “Young star new vision 2012 Award-music”,
National Culture Foundation Taiwan
2012 participating feature album “Traveller”,
nominated Best traditional music album, Golden Melody Award Taiwan.
2013 residency grant, Taiwan Ministry of Culture.
2014 residency grant, Department of Taipei City Culture Affairs.