As a soloist, ensemble musician, teacher and musical ambassador, acclaimed cellist Jian Wang is known for his sensitive interpretations and commitment to the communicative power of music. Born in Xi’an and trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Wang first entered the public eye as a cello prodigy. After studying at Yale under famed instructor Aldo Parisot, he embarked on a celebrated performing career with leading international orchestras and musicians, leveraging his fame to aid in the development of classical music in China. And as a recording artist, his discography captures his mastery of the repertoire, from chamber music to concertos. The energy and virtuosity of Wang’s work as a soloist are showcased in baroque cello suites performed with Camerata Salzburg and the Brahms Double Concerto performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and Gil Shaham on violin. Then there’s the empathetic beauty of his chamber work, including mid-’90s recordings with Maria João Pires and Augustin Dumay of Mozart and Brahms piano trios that remain classics decades later. Wang’s dexterity shines in the short pieces for cello and guitar collected on the album Reverie, a collaboration with Swedish guitarist Göran Söllscher in which the duo capture the essence of a range of styles, from Spanish dances on arrangements of pieces by Manuel de Falla to Mongolian folk music on “Pastoral”, a mid-century piece by Chinese composer Liu Rongfa. And of course, no playlist would be complete without Bach’s Cello Suites. Wang’s 2005 recording is a sensitive interpretation that embodies the melancholy, ecstasy and transcendence of the composer’s masterpieces. On a second album released in 2025, Wang revisits those beloved works with insights gained from two additional decades of musical exploration.