Aamulehti (Finland)
“The stylish interpretations of Ya-Hui Wang made the thesis of Jorma Panula and Leif Segerstam’s opinions on female conductors to shame”
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
“Ya-Hui Wang conducted the Mahler First Symphony opening movement with a stunning crescendo to the end, and with the happiness of music-making on her face… Wang also possesses a natural, also feminine charm in the music. The Radio Symphony Orchestra is completely sold in her hands. The whole structure never disappeared as she varied the balance of sounds and dynamics. Her beat is flexible, meaningful, controlled and precise.”
Politiken (Denmark)
“Her way of conducting has an interesting duality: The delicate lady exercises her authority through an unusual precise, differential expressive technique - generous but awesome discipline with an aura of iron will. At the same time she communicates a physical spontaneity which brings the heavy symphonic mechanism into progress in an irresistible, organic floating process that seems to come directly from the midriff.”
Frankfurter Rundschau (Germany)
“Miss Wang’s spontaneous musicianship, full of intensity, was refreshing and personal throughout.”
Le Monde De La Musique (France)
“She conducts by heart...with a natural and spontaneous style that none of the other candidates ranked before her had...and brought out the most of the Orchestra of Colors.”
Das Orchester (Germany)
“When she finished, there was a long lasting stormy applause, which seemed to anticipate the result of the Competition. Her fresh, unconventional style of conducting impressed spontaneously...She is the only candidate that displayed her own ‘signature’ and she was the youngest of the finalists.
Aarhus Stiftstidende (Denmark)
“She is a real conductor - in the sense that in addition to her technical ability, she possesses willpower. For Ya-Hui Wang, this comes naturally and in harmony with her experience that can develop to a high level in a business that is profoundly dominated by males.”
Jyllands Posten (Denmark)
Ya-Hui Wang has a very intriguing way of conducting. She conducted in an expressive way and thus she painted her interpretation of Dvorak’s ninth symphony “from the new world”.
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio, USA)
“vibrant, colorful performances of four demanding pieces….Ya-Hui Wang offered works that signaled her determination to travel a varied and challenging route as the ensemble’s music director…The Sibelius Fifth was the night’s big test….Wang showed a fine command of the work’s special textures and structures…[she] paced the second movement beautifully.”
Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, USA)
“Ya-Hui Wang, who studied at Peabody Institute and enjoys a global career, did her best to keep the Baltimore Opera Orchestra on (Renée) Fleming's wavelength. The playing achieved admirable cohesion and sheen in spots, both when accompanying the singer and offering on its own such favorites as Borodin's Polovtsian Dances and Bernstein's Candide Overture.”
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio, USA)
“It was Carl Nielsen’s fourth symphony, not his first, that has the nickname Inextinguishable. But Ya-Hui Wang pressed the [Akron Symphony Orchestra] with an insistence worthy of that subtitle. Wang’s feverish claim to “Allegro con fuoco” – fast, with fire - in the final movement of Nielsen’s First Symphony was the most readily defined aspect of her performance.”
Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky, USA)
“Wang’s conducting style reminds me of an Tai Chi master, using an ancient martial art not only as a weapon to forcefully carve an impression, but as a gentle caress of the surrounding space, radiating inner peace.
The Straits Time (Singapore)
“Under Wang, the [Singapore Symphony Orchestra] became a refined and controlled instrument, yet without any sacrifice of power and energy. You could be guaranteed that she will take you through any musical turmoil unscathed.”