NEC Philharmonia and Symphonic Choir + Hugh Wolff: Brahms "Ein deutsches Requiem"

Artist(s)

Josie Larsen '25 AD, soprano
Zhanqi Wang '26 MM, baritone
 

Josie Larsen, an Artist Diploma student of Bradley Williams at New England Conservatory, is a lyric soprano from Sammamish, Washington. Recently, Josie performed as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Elaine in Musto’s Later the Same Evening, Rosalinda in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème, and the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw.
       This summer Josie will be a Lehrer Fellow at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. She will
sing as Annunciata in Bolcom’s Lucrezia and cover Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Last summer Josie
covered the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Aspen Music Festival.
       Her concert performances have included Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Villa
Lobos. At the end of this month, she will be singing “From Jewish Folk Poetry” as part of the BSO’s Decoding
Shostakovich series.
       Josie has been heavily involved in competitions this year. Recently, she was honored to receive 3rd place at the New England Region of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont competition. One month later, she competed at the Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year competition and won 3rd place and the Audience choice award. She is currently competing in The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition.
       Josie completed her bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University in 2021 and her master’s degree at New
England Conservatory in 2023, both in Vocal Performance. This May she will complete the second and final year
of her Artist Diploma. She will remain in Boston for the next year continuing to build her audition package,
network, and brand. Josie’s greatest joy from performing comes from the opportunity it provides to connect with
others from all around the world, no matter the language.

Baritone Zhanqi Wang graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the China Conservatory of Music where he studied voice with Yi Song.  In 2019 he won 2nd prize at the Urbania International Vocal Competition in the Aria and Art Song categories, 3rd prize in the 1st Sesto Bruscantini International Vocal Competition, and 3rd prize in the High School category at the 9th National Opera Vocal Competition for Higher Arts Institutions.  In 2023 he won 2nd prize in the Undergraduate Aria category and an Outstanding Award in the Art Song category at the 10th National Opera Vocal Competition Higher Arts Institutions.  He has sung the roles of Kublai Khan in Marco Polo, Colline in La Bohème, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.  He is currently a candidate for the Master of Music degree at New England Conservatory, studying with Bradley Williams, and has appeared in this year’s NEC opera productions as Gus in Later the Same Evening and Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea.