NY Philharmonic Concertmaster Remembers Inspiration from CIM Teacher

CIM alum Frank Huang (BM ’02) is transitioning into his new role as concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, a position he began in September. The Wall Street Journal reported on his adjustment as the new leader of the world-renowned orchestra, speaking with Huang’s former teacher and former CIM faculty member Donald Weilerstein, who Huang says helped him connect with the emotion in music.

“By about age 16, he discovered that his mechanics and technique could unleash the emotional side of music,” says The Wall Street Journal, “He attributes the discovery to his teacher Donald Weilerstein, then at the Cleveland Institute of Music, who remembers the transition vividly. ‘It really was a breakthrough,’ said Mr. Weilerstein, recalling Mr. Huang’s work on Barber’s Violin Concerto. “When he looked at what was in the music, he immediately took to that.’”

Huang completed his BM from CIM in 2002 and graduated from the CIM Young Artists Program in 1997. Read the full article The Wall Street Journal.