Leigh Wang

Born and raised in New Jersey, Leigh Wang has been playing the piano since the age of four. He is currently studying under Dr. Christopher Guzman at Northwestern University. Previously, he was instructed by Dr. José Ramón Méndez in his first three years at the university, as well as Dr. Sofie S. Kim prior to college. Leigh developed a strong competitive profile from an early age. Ever since his Carnegie Hall debut in 2008, he has taken part in many competitions, including annual first-place finishes at NJMTA and NJMEA statewide contests. Most recently, in 2024, Leigh emerged from the Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Competition in first place, which is billed by Northwestern as the most prestigious award offered by its piano department.

Between 2017 and 2019, Leigh was selected as a Young Artist to perform at New York Steinway Hall three times. In 2020, he received the Global Music Competition Ferruccio Busoni Award, marking a key milestone in his artistic journey. He has taught piano to people of diverse ages and backgrounds since the summer of 2020. In addition, Leigh has had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses headed by Ann Schein, Seymour Bernstein, and Alan Chow.

Leigh is from Montclair, New Jersey. While he attended Montclair High School, he volunteered his musicianship at libraries, community centers, jazz ensembles, and even his school orchestra as a violinist. At Northwestern, he has composed music for multiple student-led short films and served as music director for a student production. In reflection, Leigh identifies Mitsuko Uchida and her performances of Mozart piano concertos as the spark for his love for the instrument as a child. His other hobbies include playing and watching basketball, improvising on TikTok songs at the piano, and advocating for urbanism and transit-oriented development.

Leigh intends to graduate from Northwestern in June 2025 with both a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/data science.