2015.1026
NTNU Student Wins Osaka Music Competition
National Taiwan Normal University doctoral student Wang Chien Tang won a gold medal in the strings division at the 16-year-old Osaka International Music Competition. He is the first Taiwanese musician who won the prize.
Wang, 29, is a doctoral candidate in National Taiwan Normal University College of Music who studies under renowned violinist Nanette Chen. Professor Chen teaches many young Taiwanese violinst, including Tseng Yu Chien.
Unlike many other Taiwanese musicians, Wang has never studied music abroad. He choose Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in this competition, a piece he has been practicing since senior high school. Since his last competition in the Hong Kong International Music Festival in 2012, he hasn’t participated in any competition for 3 years. Wang admitted that he felt a little bit uneasy before going on stage, but when he was playing the violin, he felt relaxed.
“When I was told that I won the prize, I rushed to see the result, putting my meal aside.” he said, laughing. He attributed his award to Professor Chen. Professor Chen said that “Wang is a persistent kind of person.” Sometimes he feels angry because of his stubbornness, but that’s also the reason to success.
Wang started playing violin since he was 5. Now he teaches at elementary and junior high schools and practice violin at least 4 hours a day. He said that he focused more on the speed and skills of violin before, but now he has learned to enjoy the fun of practicing it. Wang said he wants to be a music teacher while being a violinist in Taiwan so he can pass his art on to the next generation.