Born in China, composer, conductor, and music educator Wang Leyou has received numerous international awards for his compositions, including the Tcherepnin Composition Competition and the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Award. His orchestral works have been performed by symphony orchestras worldwide, such as the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with Wang conducting many of the performances.
During his time in Germany, he also served as a répétiteur at the Opera School of the State University of Music and Performing Arts, where he participated in rehearsals and assisted in the conducting of several operas, including The Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème, Carmen, What Next?, and Gianni Schicchi. He was also actively involved in arranging choral and operatic works, including Paul Hindemith’s opera Neues vom Tage. In 2023, he composed his first chamber opera, Emperor’s New Clothes Cont’d.
In addition to composing and conducting, Wang is passionate about music education. He has taught ear training and music theory at the German and American universities where he studied, and has also produced online video series on music theory, composition, and conducting. His channel has attracted tens of thousands of followers and millions of views. Series on harmony and counterpoint have been widely praised by students and educators alike, and are used as supplementary teaching materials in leading Chinese conservatories.
Wang received his master’s degrees in music theory and conducting from the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart and the Freiburg University of Music in Germany, and his doctorate in composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City under the guidance of Dr. Chen Yi and Dr. Zhou Long.