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  • Faculty

  • Donna Weng Friedman

    Email
    wengd@newschool.edu

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    Donna Weng Friedman

    Profile

    Award winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, curator and app developer.   In collaboration with WQXR, Ms. Weng Friedman created and produced Heritage and Harmony, a virtual concert video series in celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month.  Along with soprano Allison Charney, she is the co-creator and co-host of HER/MUSIC;HER/STORY, a mini-series on WQXR as well as a concert series that shines a light on women composers, past and present.  HER/MUSIC;HER/STORY, in conjunction with the virtual concert series Season of Hope, celebrates the anniversaries of our 19th Amendment as well as the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as part of the centennial programming of the National Women's History Museum.

    On January 10, 2021, Donna Weng Friedman will be the featured guest artist on the National Women’s History Museum’s series NWHM Presents!: Sundays@Home, honoring women whose activism and talents serve to inspire others.  In collaboration with the National Women’s History Museum, Ms. Weng Friedman will launch two new educational programs in 2021, both dedicated to our school-aged girls of color. The first one is a poetry and music program called Heritage and Harmony: Her Words, Her Voice, featuring leading BIPOC female poets, including former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith.  The second program is Heritage ad Harmony: Her Art, Her Choice, featuring female BIPOC leaders in all arts.

    As a recitalist, she has appeared at Caramoor, Jeu de Paume, France, Symphony Hall in Shanghai, the Flagler Museum, the 92nd St. Y, Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center.  She has collaborated with St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Carter Brey, Ani Kavafian, David Shifrin, Elizabeth Mann, and Anthony McGill, and has performed as soloist with the Atlanta, Philadelphia and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras, to mention but a few.  Ms. Weng Friedman has conducted master classes at the Shanghai and Beijing conservatories and is on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music.


    The curator of the Donna Weng Friedman '80 Master Class Series at Princeton University, she is also a member of Princeton University Music Department’s Advisory Council as well as the board of directors of Friends of Thirteen and WNET.  Ms. Weng Friedman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University where she was a University Scholar and a Master’s of Music Degree from the Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Adele Marcus, where she was awarded the prestigious Gina Bachauer Award as well as the William Petschek Full Scholarship. She has had the privilege of working with the great composer/teacher Nadia Boulanger as well as pianist Radu Lupu.

    Donna Weng Friedman was the music supervisor and recording artist for the award-winning film documentary “Frames of Life” as well as for the documentaries “Living Liberty” and “Morris Engle: The Independent”.  Ms. Weng Friedman created “The Music Bee Club” interactive classical music app series for children ages 2-8 featuring world class musicians, such as cellist Carter Brey and flutist Elizabeth Mann, produced by sixteen-time Grammy Award winner David Frost. 

    On October 7 @ 7pm, Ms. Weng Friedman will be the featured guest on TEDx Santa Barbara's new program, Making Waves: Influencers and Disruptors

    Degrees Held

    • B.A. Princeton University
    • M.M. The Juilliard School

    Professional Affiliation

    • Princeton University:  Director of the Donna Weng Friedman '80 Masterclass Series, Music Department
    • Advisory Council Member, Princeton University Music Department
    • Mannes College of Music: Prep Division, Piano Faculty
    • WNET/Friends of THIRTEEN Board of Directors

    Recent Publications

    Research Interests

    • Teaching children how to understand and connect with the inherent narrative in classical music.
    • Shining a light on under appreciated and over looked women composers, past and present, sharing their stories as well as their music.
    • Spotlighting classical musicians of Asian descent performing music by Asian composers, sharing their stories of heritage during a time of increasing racial bias against Asians:https://allarts.org/2020/05/donna-weng-friedman-heritage-and-harmony/

    Awards And Honors

    • Princeton University:  University Scholar 1976-1980, Sachs Scholarship Award
    • Juilliard School:  Gina Bachauer Piano competition,  William Petschek Full Scholarship Award

                                      

    Portfolio

    wqxr.org - Heritage Harmony

    wqxr.org - Her Music Her Story

    WNET, Asian Americans of NY and NJ

    Princeton University Masterclass Series

    NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM

    Current Courses

    Lesson 1 hour

    Lesson 1/2 hour

    Lesson 3/4 hour

    Preparatory Instruction

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