Students in MSN teacher Joe Shimp's 6th grade violin class participating in a Virtual Q&A with Staff Sgt. Foster Wang, a violinist in "The President's Own" Marine Chamber Orchestra.
(October 19, 2020) - Students in Middle School North teacher Joe Shimp's 6th grade violin class participated in a Virtual Q&A with one of "The President's Own" Marine Chamber Orchestra violinists, Staff Sgt. Foster Wang on Monday, October 19th.
As a member of the Chamber Orchestra, Staff Sgt. Wang plays at many events specifically for the President. He shared that this could mean anything from a holiday gathering to banquets to honor someone. Every event has different music, while each administration has different musical preferences.
"George W. Bush liked country music, Barack Obama liked jazz, and Donald Trump likes more 'Americana' style," Staff Sgt. Wang told the students. He has played for "5 living presidents" at George H.W. Bush's funeral.
During the Q&A, Wang shared his story of growing up playing the violin, starting at 4 years old. Both of his parents were violinists. He earned a bachelor's degree in music in 2010 from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, where he studied privately with Lynn Chang. He earned his master's degree in violin performance in 2012 at The Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with David Chan, concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Staff Sgt. Wang has also studied with Rafail Sobolevsky and Naoko Tanaka.
