Futen Wang is the winner of the 2020 Frank J. Farina Jr. Award for Musical Excellence at North Allegheny Senior High School.

Futen Wang is a “World-class musician. He is a bright, gifted and enthusiastic, learner. He is an amazing self-starter,” said Chris Ruffolo, Futen’s gifted facilitator at North Allegheny High School. Futen has participated in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s “Hear and Now” that immerses students in both front-of-the house and back-of- the house symphony experiences. He studied sound at a local radio station and interned with a Luthier to learn the process of violin making and bow repair. Futen plays in a string quartet, but also studies piano, and plays in chamber ensembles. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO), has won the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra Concerto Competition, and completed an apprenticeship in orchestral conducting at Duquesne University.

Futen plans to continue his studies with a focus in Music Psychology blending his vast experience and knowledge of music with cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques.