Wang Jie, composition (Shanghai, China) is known for her stylistic versatility, one day spinning a few notes into a large symphony, the next conjuring a malevolent singing rat onto the opera stage. For the past three years running, Jie’s “Symphony No. 1” has been the most-broadcast work on the most-listened-to classical music show on public radio. Her “Symphonic Overture - America the Beautiful” is a popular concert opener in the United States, and she wrote her opera “It Rained on Shakopee” based on her mentoring experience at the Minnesota state prison. She was described by music critic Jay Nordlinger as “a clear communicator, whose love of music is obvious.” She studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and NYU’s PhD program, and her music has been performed by the New York City Opera, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. She is grateful to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress, the McKnight Foundation, and the V. Toulmin Foundation for supporting her musical endeavors.