Vivian performs on Show 458.

Vivian Wang (guitar), 16, is a high school senior from Edison, New Jersey, who began studying the Suzuki Method with Galina Jitlina at the age of four in Vancouver. She is currently under the guidance of Professor Denis Azabagic.

In 2021 and 2022, Vivian was selected to participate in the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) Mentorship Program. She has won several prestigious competitions, including the Chicago Guitar Competition in both the Senior and Collegiate Divisions, the Long Island National High School Classical Guitar Competition, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Competition, the Indiana International Guitar Competition, the Houston Classical Guitar Competition, the Latino Arts Strings Program Competition, and the Florida Guitar Competition, among others. Vivian has also received numerous classical guitar scholarships, including the BCRMTA Scholarship, the Guitarlab Summer Intensive Scholarship, and the GFA Summit Scholarship.

In 2021, Vivian and her brother, Owen, premiered a GFA-commissioned piece titled “The Rainy Ketagalan Harbor” by Ming-Jui Liu during the GFA convention. In 2022, Vivian premiered a GFA-commissioned piece titled “First Snow” by Olga Amelkina-Vera at the GFA 50th Anniversary Concert. Both pieces were specially recorded as videos by the GFA for various social media platforms and were published and sold on multiple platforms in both printed and digital formats. Furthermore, Vivian and Owen created four tutorial videos for GFAtv in 2021, sharing their extensive knowledge and experience with guitar enthusiasts around the world. They were responsible for the entire process, from writing the scripts to filming and post-production.

Vivian’s passion for music extends beyond her performances. She is actively involved in various classical guitar communities and has been a dedicated guitar teacher at a local Chinese school for many years. This year, she is the president of her high school guitar ensemble, working tirelessly to build and promote the guitar ensemble. She actively seeks out performance opportunities, leading the ensemble to perform at many major guitar festivals, including the New Jersey City University Guitar Fest featuring world-renowned guitarist and composer Andrew York and the Kean University Guitar Festival.

Vivian is an extremely hardworking and passionate individual who seeks to expand her musical endeavors. She has been actively playing and composing pieces while sharing her knowledge with other ardent guitarists. Her dedication to guitar is evident in her eagerness to inspire others and her continuous participation in competitions and festivals.