In 2017, Hanzhi Wang became the very first accordionist to win First Prize at the YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. She debuted in New York in The Peter Marino Concert at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and in Washington, DC, opening the 40th Anniversary YCA Series at the Kennedy Center, co-presented with Washington Performing Arts. She has been named Musical America's "New Artist of the Month" and featured on WQXR's Young Artists Showcase. Her solo accordion CD, "On the Path to H.C. Andersen” was Naxos’ first-ever solo accordion album and received critical acclaim including a nomination for the DR P2 Prize.
Hanzhi has performed at renowned venues and series, including UC Santa Barbara's Lively Arts, the Candlelight Concert Society, La Jolla Music Society, The Morgan Library, and the Artist Series in Sarasota, and appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Music Festival, Victoria Symphony, Cantori, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Iris Orchestra, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and the Hawaii Symphony. Upcoming and recent highlights include her Tanglewood debut and a coast-to-coast tour with Avi Avital, which includes a performance presented by the New York Philharmonic.
Hanzhi is committed to nurturing future accordionists through lectures, masterclasses, and new works written for her by composers such as Martin Lohse, James Black, and Sophia Gubaidulina. She will debut a piece by YCA composer Katie Balch at Wigmore Hall and premiere a new accordion concerto written for her by current YCA Composer-in-Residence, Nina Shekhar, in January 2025.
Hanzhi earned her Bachelor's degree at the China Central Conservatory of Music and completed her Master's degree and Soloist Diploma at the Royal Danish Academy of Music under accordion professor Geir Draugsvoll.
