Born in Wuhan, China, Wei Jiang began studying violin with his father at age 5, then studied viola after being admitted to the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Immediately upon graduating with the highest honors, Jiang became the youngest person to be appointed to a teaching position at the Conservatory. During his five-year tenure at the Central Conservatory, Jiang toured extensively with his string quartet in Asia and Europe.
He is a founding member of the Eclipse Ensemble, a unique performing group that showcased music by contemporary Chinese composers. Jiang came to the United States in 1996 to further his musical training at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and later at the University of Maryland. In 1999, he joined the Houston Symphony. He is a member of the Fidelis String Quartet, which made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2005, and is often featured in chamber music concerts throughout the city and state. He frequently collaborates with his wife, pianist Sherry Cheng, in performances of chamber music and new music. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis with his family, traveling, and the simple pleasures of life.
This season marks your 20th year with the Houston Symphony. Would you like to share any memories?
The most memorable day was the day I won the job to be a violist in the Houston Symphony. My dear friend and colleague Joan DerHovsepian won her position on the same day. Don Howey and Eric Larson also joined the Symphony that year. It’s wonderful to have become close friends with the same people you met on the first day of the job. Joan and I also married our wonderful spouses that year. So 1999 was a very special year indeed.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of music?
Tennis, tennis, tennis. My whole family plays tennis. I play mixed doubles with my wife as well as singles and men’s doubles. My son plays high school varsity tennis. My daughter will be playing tournaments soon. We have a ton of fun playing tennis as a family and with friends and colleagues.
What does music mean to you?
Because I sometimes find it difficult to express myself through words, my true self is revealed through my music-making. Last year, I lost my dear friend, former Houston Symphony CFO Danny Granados, to cancer. We made a lot of good music together. I wanted to say goodbye to him, thank him for his friendship, and pay tribute to his life, but I would never have been able to get up in front of all the people at the funeral to give a eulogy.
Instead, I had the honor of playing the beautiful melody of “Amazing Grace” with the Fidelis Quartet at his funeral. I expressed all I wanted to say to him through that performance. Whether it’s a simple melody, the Verdi Requiem, a Strauss tone poem, or a Mahler symphony, music can be at the same time human and transcendent.
