Donna Weng Friedman
- Director
- Writer
- Music Department
Award winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, curator, producer, filmmaker, and app developer. She will be inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in October, 2023.
Donna is the writer, director and producer of Never Fade Away, a short film featuring Chun Wai Chan, the first principal dancer of Chinese descent in New York City Ballet's 75-year history. Never Fade Away is the true story of how her father escaped imprisonment in his homeland in the 1940's, came to this country with nothing but his hopes and dreams, and how a radio and a waltz changed his life. This story shines a light on the healing power of music as well as the power of the immigrant experience.
A short clip of Never Fade Away was shown at Times Square on May 1st in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. Donna has since been featured on CBS Morning Newscast with Cindy Hsu, ABC Eyewitness News, NBC News 4 NY, WPIX 11 News with Magee Hickey, WCBS News Radio and Asian American Life.
Her album Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, featuring exclusively AAPI/BIPOC artists was presented with two Silver Medals at the 2022 Global Music Awards.
In collaboration with WQXR, Donna created Heritage and Harmony, a virtual concert series featuring the stories and music of leading Asian classical musicians. Donna was the co-creator, co-host of HER/MUSIC;HER/STORY, a mini-series on WQXR that shines a light on women composers, past and present. Donna was awarded a 2022 New York Women Composers grant an
Donna is the inaugural winner of the Women Who Innovate Grant 2023, awarded by the International Alliance for Women in Music, Global Initiatives committee for her "impactful and meaningful" work. She launched Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice in collaboration with National Women's History Museum, featuring leading female BIPOC role models in the arts who share their stories to inspire and future generations of groundbreaking young women.
Donna has performed in concert halls worldwide, and appeared as soloist with major orchestras.
She is a member of Princeton University Music Department's Advisory Council and the curator for the Donna Weng Friedman '80 Masterclass Series. Donna received a BA from Princeton University an MM from the Juilliard School as a student of Adele Marcus. She had the honor of studying with Nadia Boulanger as well pianist Radu Lupu.
Donna created Music Bee Club classical music apps for children, produced by 22-time Grammy award-winning producer David Frost.