Background, professional training and performance history
Wan-Ting Huang was born in Taiwan and began her study in cello performance at the age of nine. Winning first places in the prestigious Youth Cello Competition at the age of 14 and in the Chamber Music Competition at 22. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tainan National University of Arts in 2006 and subsequently came to the United States to continue to her music education at the University of Oregon’s School of Music. In 2009, after receiving her master’s degree in cello performance, she continued to challenge herself and enrolled into the Doctor of Musical Arts Program in cello performance at the University of Oregon with supporting area studies in Intermedia Music Technology.
Wan-Ting has attended various graduate-level courses in the U.S., Canada, Sout Africa, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Netherlands, Taiwan and Germany. She is an active performing cellist since her teenage years, and began giving professional cello solo recitals and performance in chamber concerts regularly since 1999. In addition to teaching cello lessons, Wan-Ting is a seven-year veteran music teacher for students ranging from adolescents to working adults in Taiwan; offering private piano and Mandolin lessons.
Currently, Wan-Ting is the principle cellist of the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra and a student of Professor Steven Pologe. In 2008, Wan-Ting was awarded the UO Graduate Teaching Fellowship and had been working as a teaching assistant at the School of Music..
Artist statement and teaching philosophy
“As a product of my prior multicultural educational experience, I take a multi-pronged approach in my teaching that accommodates to the needs and learning peculiarities of my students. My instructional forte has been my ability in aiding students to find their unique potentials and to cultivate their interests in cello playing. My educational philosophy is that students shall find satisfaction and fulfillment in the process of cello playing and learning. By overcoming a variety of challenges posed by my instructions, student will learn to understand the intrinsic values of music. Learning music is not an uphill battle against other musicians in competitions, but a carnival of passions celebrated among music lovers. My goal for all of my students in the past has been one of self-exploration through the challenges, discoveries, and expressions in music. In other words, rather than struggling to become a good musician, my classes are a process of appreciation for both music and life. As a teacher, I encourage my students to explore their music potentials and find meanings in what music is to them. I look forward to sharing my love for the cello and welcome student of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds.”
Instruments & classes taught
Wan-Ting Huang teaches cello to students of all ages and with or without prior cello playing experience. She teaches piano and mandolin.