For over 10 years, Alex Wang, ‘28, has practiced and excelled at the violin. Not only has he won an Overture Award for instrumental music, but he is also one of the youngest non-professional invitees to play with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in decades. Additionally, he’s been named the concertmaster of the Walnut Hills High School Chamber Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Concert Orchestra as a sophomore.

“My mom always wanted me to play something, and we had a violin shop near our house,” Alex said. “They also gave lessons, so every week I’d have a lesson.”

Even with their simplicity, these weekly lessons helped him become familiar and comfortable with the violin.

“The lessons covered the basics, like ‘Here’s how you play.’ [and] ‘Here’s how you hold the bow,’” Alex said.

Eventually, Alex outgrew those lessons and moved on to a different professor.

“After I switched instructors, I had a Chinese teacher, and she was really tough on me because I was one of the youngest people she had ever taught,” Alex said.

With only six months of playing experience, Alex played his first solo in front of a crowd. Like most young artists, his early experience with the instrument wasn’t easy. Learning how to play and perform meant stepping into unfamiliar territory.

“[Initially] playing a new instrument puts you in a position you might not be used to,” Alex said. “I had stage fright for the longest time. For a 6-year-old who just started playing six months prior, it’s hard. But my teacher and my mom pushed me to do my best.”

This exposure to the public encouraged him to enter competitions and join various orchestras.

“I would compete every year in the Buckeye Competition,[and] then I played in the Cincinnati Junior Strings ensemble for about two years,” Alex said.

Katie Wang, his older sister, recalled realizing how quick her brother improved his skills.

“We started playing the violin around the same time, but I realized that he would always outplay me,” Katie Wang said. “When I was in high school, he was in middle school, but he was already playing at competitions and doing solos.”

His persistence to play and improve is something that shone bright even before joining the WHHS orchestra, catching the eye of various teachers and mentors.

“I was so impressed when he auditioned; he was in eighth grade,” John Caliguri, Alex’s orchestra teacher, said. “I knew then he would be one of our top violinists.”

His way of playing stood out to Caliguri and set him apart from a lot of violinists he had heard. He recalled being in awe when Alex requested that he listen to a piece he was preparing for a competition.

“It was his ability to move around the instrument; the speed at which he played and his musical ear was great,” Caliguri said.“I sat there, and I couldn’t believe it. I went to college for music, and he was much better than a lot of the violinists in college.”

His advanced skillset was the fruit of hours of practice.

“He works really hard when practicing, and sometimes, he would take up to three hours practicing,” Katie Wang said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a time that I was in the house and didn’t hear violin playing.”

With heavier work loads and new clubs, Alex’s schedule has changed. However, he always makes sure to fit practice in his day.

“Right now, practice has been very minimal, but my mom and I have agreed on 40 minutes a day,” Alex said.

Being one of the steadiest aspects of his life, he has no intentions of giving it up any time soon.

“For the past three years, I’ve been in the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, and I’m the concert master,” Alex said.

These opportunities have allowed him to branch out and engage with others, finding a new community outside of school.

“CSYO is great and I have a lot of fun. I get to talk to people I’ve never gotten the chance to talk to before,” Alex said.

Even at an advanced level, Alex still has much to learn from his superiors. His continual growth gives him the opportunity to adapt to new styles of play and make things work in his own way.

“[My current professor] really changed my perspective on music,” Alex said. “He told me that I play so much in front of judges that whenever I do play, I always feel like I’m being judged…That changed a lot for me because I’ve always been taught that if I play this way, then I’ll be the best.”

Having watched his progress over the years, Katie Wang believes his skill is truly something special.

“I want him to keep playing violin even after high school, because he has this rare talent that not a lot of people have when it comes to music, and he should take advantage of that,” Katie Wang said.

Despite playing for over a decade, and at times competitively, Wang has upped his passion for the instrument a lot in the past few years.

“I didn’t take music seriously until two years ago, and I’ve been playing for 11 years,” Alex said. “A lot of people who play music get discouraged easily because others play better than them or they progress slowly.”

Looking ahead, Alex is considering how he wants music to fit into his future.

“I think I will continue playing after high school, maybe major in it,” Alex said. “But I don’t want to play competitively; I’d rather play as a hobby more than anything.”

As he continues to grow as a musician, for him, music ultimately comes down to finding enjoyment in the process of improvement.

“To anyone who wants to do music, it’s important to have discipline. But if you can make it fun for yourself, it’ll be a lot easier,” Alex said.

This story was originally published on The Chatterbox on April 23, 2026.