Zhiyi Wang (b.1980) is an internationally active composer and music producer whose career bridges contemporary classical, film, television, popular music, world music, and major cultural events.

Wang was a core member of the music crew for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He created a variety of musical programs for the Opening Ceremony, including the Fanfare for the Ceremony, which was performed during the opening speeches of Jacques Rogge (former President of the International Olympic Committee) and Liu Qi (President of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games). Wang's arrangements consisted of four programs: the theme song You and Me (performed by Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan), the duet song Dream of the Five Rings, the Ritual Music, and the Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has acknowledged Wang's immense contribution to the spirit of the ceremonies. In addition, he transcribed the orchestral version of the Beijing Olympic Theme Song You and Me for the 2012 New Year's Concert at the China National Center for the Performing Arts, conducted by Lorin Maazel. Furthermore, Wang was appointed composer for the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition Opening Ceremony.

In the contemporary domain, Wang has won numerous awards from international composition competitions. He has also received the Grawemeyer Fellowship and has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Shanghai Opera House, the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, the Sacrarium International Composers' Forum in Ukraine, and the International Contemporary Arts Academy in Romania. Wang is frequently commissioned by various orchestras, festivals, and organizations. His music has been performed by renowned artists like Yuri Bashmet, Sarah Brightman and Lang Lang, and various orchestras and ensembles such as China National Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic, Senzoku Gakuen New Philharmonic, NCPA Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic, The Orchestra of China National Opera House, The Orchestra of Shanghai Opera House, China Broadcast Symphony Orchestra, 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 across Asia, North America, and Europe. The Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi has premiered his new works commissioned by the Moscow Soloists and Yuri Bashmet over three consecutive years. Notably, Wang's piano work, Etude for Concert, was performed by Anna Kislitsyna at Carnegie Hall in 2022.

Wang has collaborated with some of the most prominent directors in Chinese cinema, such as Kaige Chen, Yimou Zhang, and Hark Tsui, in film music. He has received many accolades from various film awards. The film The Battle at Lake Changjin, which he scored, became the world's second-highest-grossing film in 2021 and received the Outstanding Music Award at the Huabiao Film Awards, the highest honor in China’s film industry. His score for Dali Holiday garnered him the Gold Medal from the Global Music Awards. His latest score, The Volunteers: To the War, received the Most Popular Music Award at the 21st China Movie Channel Media Awards. His other scores were nominated for the World Soundtrack Awards, the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, the Golden Rooster Awards, and the China Academy Awards for Documentary Film. In addition to films, Wang has also composed the original music and theme songs for various TV series and documentaries. His song, Romantic Attachment, for the documentary The Louvre Meets the Forbidden City, is included in the music textbook used by middle schools throughout China.

Wang is also a renowned figure in the pop music industry. He was nominated for Best Arranger twice at the 25th Golden Melody Awards for his exceptional work on the album Li Jian Classic Remake Collections. Wang has collaborated with many well-known singers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. He has made significant contributions to China's most popular singing reality shows, including I Am a Singer, Grammy Salute to China Star, and X-Factor, where he showcased his talent by creating his versions of classic songs. The instrumental song "Where the Heart Is" won him six international music awards.

Born in China, Wang holds a BM and MM in music composition from Oberlin College Conservatory and the University of Louisville, where he studied under Randolph Coleman and Marc Satterwhite. He has received an Alumni Award from both institutions. Wang is a voting member of The Recording Academy and the World Soundtrack Academy; he also serves on the jury at the LIT Music Awards and the Tencent Wave Music Committee, as well as on juries for international composition competitions. Wang is an appointed Industry Mentor at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and has been a guest faculty member at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Leon Fleisher Academy. He lives in Los Angeles.

Zhiyi Wang

Composer · Music Producer

Contemporary Classical · Film · Television · Pop · World

Music across cultures, genres, and boundaries.