Di Wu, Piano

Biography

Praised in The Wall Street Journal as "a most mature and sensitive pianist," Chinese-born Di Wu's reputation as an elegant and exciting musician continues to grow. 2009 was a banner year – she made her New York Alice Tully Hall recital debut as winner of Juilliard's William Petschek Piano Debut Recital Award, named "Artist of the Month" by MusicalAmerica.com, awarded a Vendome Virtuosi prize at Lisbon's prestigious Vendome Competition, and was a finalist at the XIII Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In September she made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at a gala benefit concert under Charles Dutoit.

Ms. Wu is the winner of many competition prizes, including First Prize at the 2005 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the 2000 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. She was also a winner of Astral Artists' 2007 National Auditions. Her recording of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Books I and II received praise from Musical America, 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." 

Di Wu made her professional debut at the age of 14 with the Beijing Philharmonic. She went on to tour widely and recent orchestral engagements in the US have included appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, as well as two performances at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. She made her solo debut in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 2005. She has presented recitals at a number of prestigious venues in Europe.

During the 2009-2010 season, Ms. Wu had 60 engagements that took her from California to Germany, performing under the batons of James Conlon and Simone Young, and in venues from New York's Le Poisson Rouge to Steinway Hall. The season also included debuts with the Fort Worth Symphony and the Hamburg Philharmoniker, as well as recitals in New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Additionally, she participated in residencies at both the University of Vermont and Whittier College.

Di Wu came to the U.S. in 1999 to study at the Manhattan School of Music, followed by studies at the Curtis Institute with Gary Graffman. She holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School under Yoheved Kaplinsky, and recently earned an Artist Diploma from Juilliard under the guidance of Joseph Kalichstein and Robert McDonald.  Di Wu is an Astral artist.