Di Wu (pianist)
Encyclopedia
Di Wu is a Chinese
pianist
.
, Jiangsu
, Di Wu entered Beijing's
Central Conservatory of Music
at age 12. She made her professional debut at age 14 with the Beijing Philharmonic, and has since toured widely to positive reviews. In 1999, Wu came to the United States to continue her music studies, first with Zenon Fishbein at the Manhattan School of Music
, then with Gary Graffman
at the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2005. Wu earned a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School
under Yoheved Kaplinsky
, and in 2009, she received an Artist Diploma under the guidance of Joseph Kalichstein
and Robert McDonald.
and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Charles Dutoit
and the Philadelphia Orchestra
; James Conlon
and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
; Miguel Harth-Bedoya
and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
; and Simone Young
and the Philharmoniker Hamburg
. Other orchestral engagements have included appearances with Washington's National Symphony Orchestra
, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
, and twice in Carnegie Hall
with The New York Pops
.
Ms. Wu has also been welcomed as a recitalist: She made her solo debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
in 2005, and has performed at the Ravinia Festival and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival, as well as the Alice Tully Hall
, Cleveland Playhouse, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
, the Bass Performance Hall
in Texas, and more. In Europe, she has presented recitals at festivals such as Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund, Klavier Festival Ruhr, and the Busoni International Piano Festival, and at venues such as the Musee de Grenoble and Musee d'Orsay in Paris.
as a "most mature and sensitive pianist" Wu's reputation as an elegant yet exciting musician continues to grow. In Washington, D.C.
, she was hailed for her “fire and authority” (Post); in Philadelphia, for her “charisma, steely technique and keen musical intelligence” (Inquirer); And in San Francisco, where the San Francisco Classical Voice critic raved, “what distinguishes Di Wu from her contemporaries is the level of musical maturity she possesses, her exacting attention to details, and the way she opens her vision of the world to the audience. The sensitivity she possesses and the loving care she lavishes on the most minute details of the music is nothing short of phenomenal."
Wu's recording of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Books I and II received praise from Musical America's Harris Goldsmith, who wrote, "Her account of the Brahms is amazing. She takes all the difficult options (her glissandos are unbelievable!), and she conjures from the piano absolutely gossamer, violinistic textures, joyous humor, and brilliant air-borne tempos".
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Early life and education
Born into a musical family in NanjingNanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, Di Wu entered Beijing's
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Central Conservatory of Music
Central Conservatory of Music
The Central Conservatory of Music is the national leading music school in Beijing, China.Founded in 1950, the Conservatory offers courses to both Chinese nationals and foreign students, and caters for all levels from primary up to postgraduate programmes...
at age 12. She made her professional debut at age 14 with the Beijing Philharmonic, and has since toured widely to positive reviews. In 1999, Wu came to the United States to continue her music studies, first with Zenon Fishbein at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
, then with Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman is an American classical pianist, teacher of piano and music administrator.Graffman was born in New York City to Russian-Jewish parents. Having started piano at age 3, Graffman entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 7 in 1936 as a piano student of Isabelle Vengerova...
at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2005. Wu earned a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
under Yoheved Kaplinsky
Yoheved Kaplinsky
Yoheved "Veda" Kaplinsky is an award-winning classical pianist, lecturer and professor of music at the Juilliard School...
, and in 2009, she received an Artist Diploma under the guidance of Joseph Kalichstein
Joseph Kalichstein
Joseph Kalichstein is a renowned Israeli-born American classical pianist who performs in the concerto, solo recital and chamber music repertoire, the latter mainly with Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson in the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio...
and Robert McDonald.
Performances
Wu has toured widely in Asia, Europe and the United States, where she has performed with prominent musicians such as Christoph EschenbachChristoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach , born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.-Early...
and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
and the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
; James Conlon
James Conlon
James Conlon is an American conductor and the current Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera.-Early years:Conlon grew up in a family of five children on Cherry Street in Douglaston, Queens, New York. His mother, Angeline L. Conlon, was a freelance writer. His father was an assistant to the New...
and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
As the fifth oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours...
; Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Miguel Harth-Bedoya is a Peruvian conductor, currently Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra , a position he has held since 2000.He was born in Lima, Peru...
and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Fort Worth, Texas. The orchestra performs at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth...
; and Simone Young
Simone Young
Simone Margaret Young AM is an Australian conductor. She is music director of the Hamburg Philharmonic and general manager of the Hamburg State Opera...
and the Philharmoniker Hamburg
Philharmoniker Hamburg
The Philharmoniker Hamburg is a German symphony orchestra based in Hamburg. Its current Music Director is GMD Simone Young. It is also the orchestra of the Hamburg State Opera....
. Other orchestral engagements have included appearances with Washington's National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra that performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.-History:...
, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra located in the state of New Jersey, United States. Philip James founded the orchestra in 1922. The orchestra is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. Neeme Järvi, the NJSO's music director from 2005 to 2009, is currently the orchestra's...
, and twice in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
with The New York Pops
The New York Pops
The New York Pops is the largest independent symphonic pops orchestra in the United States, and the only symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular American music...
.
Ms. Wu has also been welcomed as a recitalist: She made her solo debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in 2005, and has performed at the Ravinia Festival and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival, as well as the Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
, Cleveland Playhouse, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center , in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States...
, the Bass Performance Hall
Bass Performance Hall
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas is located in downtown Fort Worth near Sundance Square, occupies a whole city block, and was opened in 1998. It was built entirely with private funds and seats 2,056 people in a city with an estimated 2009 population of 720,250...
in Texas, and more. In Europe, she has presented recitals at festivals such as Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund, Klavier Festival Ruhr, and the Busoni International Piano Festival, and at venues such as the Musee de Grenoble and Musee d'Orsay in Paris.
Critical Reception
Praised in The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
as a "most mature and sensitive pianist" Wu's reputation as an elegant yet exciting musician continues to grow. In Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, she was hailed for her “fire and authority” (Post); in Philadelphia, for her “charisma, steely technique and keen musical intelligence” (Inquirer); And in San Francisco, where the San Francisco Classical Voice critic raved, “what distinguishes Di Wu from her contemporaries is the level of musical maturity she possesses, her exacting attention to details, and the way she opens her vision of the world to the audience. The sensitivity she possesses and the loving care she lavishes on the most minute details of the music is nothing short of phenomenal."
Wu's recording of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Books I and II received praise from Musical America's Harris Goldsmith, who wrote, "Her account of the Brahms is amazing. She takes all the difficult options (her glissandos are unbelievable!), and she conjures from the piano absolutely gossamer, violinistic textures, joyous humor, and brilliant air-borne tempos".