Zhiyi Wang (b.1980) is a multi-award winning composer for contemporary classical and film genres.

Wang’s characteristics of composing reflects all the genres he has touched, with a sophisticated amalgam of Oriental tinctures and Western avant-garde, as well as influenced by classical traditions. He has composed a series of music works in different genres, ranging from contemporary classical, film and TV score, modern ballet, musical to world music and pop music. His works have been performed by leading artists including Yuri Bashmet, Sarah Brightman, Lang Lang, Li-Wei Qin, etc., as well as groups including the China National Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic, NCPA Orchestra, The Orchestra of China National Opera House, The Orchestra of Shanghai Opera House, Brno Philharmonic, China Broadcast Symphony Orchestra, Senzoku Gakuen New Philharmonic, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Chamber Orchestra, Eighth Blackbird, Moscow Soloists, Sound Ways Ensemble, Ensemble Les Amis, ConTempo Quartet, Baroque Camerata, Lemberg Sinfonietta, Villiers String Quartet and many others throughout Asia, North America and Europe.

As a core member of the music crew in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Wang composed various music programs for the Opening Ceremony. His Fanfare for the Ceremony was performed when Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, and Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, entered the stadium to make their opening speeches. His arrangements included four programs: the theme song, You and Me (performed by Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan), the duet song, Dream of the Five Rings, Ritual Music, and Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. Wang’s immense contribution to the spirit of the Ceremonies has been officially acknowledged by the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. He later transcribed the orchestral version of the Beijing Olympic Theme Song You and Me for the 2012 New Year’s Concert at the China National Centre for the Performing Arts, conducted by Lorin Maazel. Wang was also an appointed composer for the Opening Ceremony of 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibitions.

In contemporary domain, Wang has won top prizes from Red Note International Composition Competition, International Alfred Schnittke Composition Competition, Senzoku Gakuen International Composition Competition, Malta International Composition Competition, International Franz Liszt Competition for Composers, International Sergei Slonimsky Composition Competition and International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition. He was a recipient of the Grawemeyer Fellowship as well as the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Oberlin College. Wang has been Composer-in-Residence at the Shanghai Opera House, the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, Sacrarium International Composers’ Forum in Ukraine and the International Contemporary Arts Academy in Romania. He frequently receives commissions from various orchestras, festivals and organizations, and he was commissioned by Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi to create new music for Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists for three consecutive years. His piano work Etude for Concert was performed by Anna Kislitsyna in the Carnegie Hall in June 2022.

Regarding film music, Wang worked with most acclaimed film directors in China, including Kaige Chen, Yimou Zhang and Hark Tsui. He composed an original score for the films, But Always and Highway of Love, for which he received the “Discovery of the Year” nomination from the 15th World Soundtrack Awards. In 2017, he garnered the Gold Medal from Global Music Awards for his original film score Dali Holiday. In 2021, his score to The Guiding Star (segment from My People, My Country) was nominated for "Best Original Score - Short Film" from Hollywood Music in Media Awards. He recently scored for film The Battle at Lake Changjin, which is China's most expensive film ever. The blockbuster has become the second highest-grossing film in 2021 worldwide and the new champion of China's all time box office. Moreover, he composed the original music and theme songs for TV series and documentaries, including Romantic Attachment for documentary The Louvre Meets the Forbidden City, which is included in the textbook of music for nationwide middle schools in China. His score to the documentary series Seal in Time received a nomination for Best Music Award from the 11th China Academy Awards of Documentary film.

In pop music, Wang received two nominations for Best Arranger in the 25th Golden Melody Awards for the album Li Jian Classic Remake Collections. He collaborated with famous singers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, as well as being actively involved in China’s most popular singer reality shows, I am a Singer, Grammy Salute to China Star, and X-Factor, creating his own version of classic songs.

Born in Suzhou, China, Wang holds BM and MM in music composition from Oberlin College Conservatory and the University of Louisville, where he studied with Randolph Coleman and Marc Satterwhite. Wang is a member of The Recording Academy and World Soundtrack Academy, and he lives in Los Angeles.