Dr. Lei Weng

‌‌Steinway Artist, Dr. Lei Weng was hailed as "the exceptionally brilliant Chinese pianist" in his Seattle debut performing Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto with the Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra. New York Concert Review acclaimed Lei Weng at his Carnegie Hall sold-out debut as “a colorist of exemplary control.” Regarding his return to Carnegie Hall two months later by immediate re-invitation, New York Concert Reviews remarked: “Weng displayed a powerhouse technique and provided good contrast with delicate moments.”

Dr. Weng has performed at many prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Steinway Hall in New York, Phillips Collections in Washington D.C., Chicago Culture Center, Beijing Music Hall, Vienna Peterskirche, Taichung National Symphony Hall and Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Taiwan, Banff Center in Canada, Campana Theater in Italy, and the Tanglewood Music Festival, the TCU Cliburn Institute, and the Messiaen Festival.

Dr. Weng’s performances have been critically acclaimed as “spirited and full of nuances” by The Cincinnati Post. The Herald Times calls him “colorful and flamboyant.” China’s Tianjin Daily remarked on his “profound and immense artistry” and Scott Cantrell, music critic from the Dallas Morning News wrote: “Fabulous playing – really fresh, personal! I love the unpredictability, the willingness to take chances, not just to sound like someone else. ”

As a frequent orchestral soloist, Dr. Weng has appeared with orchestras in Cincinnati, Seattle, Indiana, Louisiana, Fort Worth, Fort Collins, Greeley, Paducah, Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Kaohsiung, as well as National Taitung University Symphony, China National Symphony and Chorus, and the UNC Symphony Orchestra and UNC Wind Ensemble.

Future concert and masterclass engagements for Dr. Weng’s include: Royal Academy of Music (London), Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing), Musashino University (Tokyo), Singapore National University, Montjoie Musicale Festival (Germany), Rocky Ridge Music Festival, as well as solo appearances with Symphony Orchestras of Longmont, Arlington, Garland, Irving, Tianjin (China), Xi’An (China), Gimhae (Korea), Marchigiana (Italy), and Greeley Philharmonic.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Weng is the Keyboard Area Head, Coordinator of Collaborative Piano program, and Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches talented students from around the world. He is the recipient of UNC’s “College of Performing and Visual Arts Scholar of the Year” in 2014. He is frequently invited as guest professor by such prestigious conservatories in Asia as Central Conservatory of Music and China Conservatory in Beijing, Taipei National University of Education and National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan, and Chung-Ang University in Korea.

Students of Lei Weng have achieved great success in both competitive and performing careers. His students have won the First Prize at Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, MTNA Colorado Young Artist Competition and Senior Division Competition (2009, 2010, 2012), MTNA West-Central Division Senior Competition (2013), CSMTA SPA Competition (2012), Boulder Philharmonic Competition (2011), as well as numerous prizes at the Steinway Competition, Yamaha Competition, Schmitt Music Competition, Symphony in the Valley Young Artist Competition. Dr. Weng’s students have performed with many premier symphony orchestras, including Colorado Symphony Orchestra (2011, 2012), the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra (2012), Arapahoe Symphony (2008), Symphonyin the Valley (2008). Other highlighted performances includes at the Bowdoin Festival, the PianoTexas Festival, and the New York’s Carnegie Hall (2010).

Many of Dr. Weng’s students have been admitted to prestigious music schools, such as the Juilliard School (80% scholarship), Eastman School of Music (full scholarship), University of Cincinnati, New England Conservatory, Peabody Institute, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Missouri Kansas City, and Manhattan School of Music.

Dr. Weng has been invited to adjudicate numerous national and international competitions in the U.S. and around the world, including: Cleveland International Piano Competition, Hong Kong International Music Competition, China National Piano Competition, Italy’s National Piano Competition “Nuova Coppa Pianisti”, Mexico National Piano Competition, and MTNA Piano Competition. Dr. Weng also serves as the Chairman of the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Foundation’s Keyboard Scholarships.

Dr. Weng received his M.M and D.M.A degrees in piano performance from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and B.M. in piano performance from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. His primary teachers include Frank Weinstock, William Black, Claude Frank, Xie Yuan, Guo Zhihong, and Zhou Guangren.

Dr. Weng is the laureate of many national and international competitions, including the top prizes in the Isabel Scionti International Piano Competition and the Camerata Piano Competition, Silver Medal in the Wideman International Piano Competition and 3rd prize at the Kingsville International Competition. He was also a prizewinner in the China National Piano Competition and the TCU/Cliburn Institute Competition.

Dr. Weng is the Founder and Director of the Colorado International Piano Academy (CIPA) at the University of Northern Colorado. The CIPA has established itself as one of the premier international summer piano festivals in Colorado, and has invited many leading pianists and piano pedagogues from Asia, Europe and the US, including: Nelita True, Boris Slutsky, Meng-Chieh Liu, Michael Chertock, and Changxin Guan. (http://www.cipa.leiweng.net)
Dr. Weng is the Founder and Director (2008-2011) of the Colorado Piano Festival at UNC. http://www.unco.edu/arts/music/cpf/default.html
Dr. Weng is a featured artist of the Arts Global Foundation. http://www.artsglobal.org/en/people/lei-weng/
Dr. Lei Weng is a “Steinway Artist”.