An accomplished clarinetist and educator committed to both classic and contemporary music will join the Michigan State University faculty beginning August 2016. The appointment of Mingzhe Wang as associate professor of clarinet further strengthens the resolve of the College of Music Woodwinds Area to the highest standards of musical excellence.

“We are delighted to welcome clarinetist Mingzhe Wang to the Michigan State University College of Music,” says James Forger, Dean of the College of Music. “Ming is a wonderful teacher, performer, and chamber musician who also has a love of early music practice.”

Mingzhe's international performance experience and education, comments Forger, will be an asset to the College and underscores the importance MSU places on preparing performers, scholars, and music educators for careers in the 21^st century. Professor of Flute Richard Sherman, agrees.

“Mingzhe will be a positive force for students in the College of Music,” says Sherman. “His palpable good-natured enthusiasm for artistic excellence will make him a welcome addition to the faculty here at MSU.”

An educator and prizewinning performer who started clarinet at age 9, Wang recently served as an associate professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. He also taught clarinet at Yale and served on the faculty at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, Conn. A native of Wuhan, China, Wang came to the U.S. in 1997 to study at the Harid Conservatory of Music at Lynn University. He received his master's degree, artist diploma and doctor of musical arts degree from Yale University.

VIDEO: Mingzhe Wang, Aaron Copland’s Clarient Concerto
Video Courtesy Mingzhe Wang, YouTube

Wang says he enjoyed interacting with faculty when he visited campus, and that he was particularly impressed with students.

“They were open, genuine, intellectually curious, respectful, and what’s more, they were strong players,” says Wang. “The MSU College of Music has a very strong clarinet program. It is such an honor for me to join the faculty. I look forward to working with such accomplished faculty and talented students this coming fall.”

A large pool of applicants was reviewed for the clarinet faculty position after an extensive national search. Search committee members included a cross-disciplinary committee of both faculty and students from the College of Music. Chaired by Sherman, the committee included faculty members Dmitri Berlinsky, Jan Eberle, Joe Lulloff, and Kevin Sedatole; student members Sam Davies and Emma Gregory; and consultants Michael Kroth, Elsa Verdehr and Guy Yehuda.

About Mingzhe Wang

A recipient of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s 2013 Individual Artist Fellowship award, Clarinetist Mingzhe Wang is committed to the music of our time and the classics. He gave the Chinese premiere of Elliott Carter’s Hiyoku and has worked closely with some of the world’s leading composers. He performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto in its original version with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra, and has performed on period clarinets with prominent groups such as The American Classical Orchestra and the Clarion Music Society Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Wang has collaborated and works with some of the most prominent young artists today. His performances have been broadcast on China’s Central Television, New York’s WQXR, Nashville's WPLN, and many public radio stations across North America.

A native of Wuhan, China, Wang first studied clarinet at the age of 9, and gave his first public performance was at the age of 10. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University, where he also obtained his Masters degree and Artist Diploma. His major teachers include David Shifrin, Charles Neidich, Ayako Oshima, and Paul Green. Wang was previously an associate professor of clarinet at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the Gateway Chamber Orchestra and a co-founder of Trio Séléné.

For more about Mingzhe Wang, including audio and video from his performances, please visit his website.