Wu Man
Encyclopedia
Wu Man is a Chinese pipa
virtuoso and composer. Described as "the artist most responsible for bring the pipa to the Western World" by the Los Angeles Times, US-based, Chinese-born musician Wu Man has carved out a career creating and fostering projects that give this ancient Chinese instrument a new role in today’s music world. A Grammy Award-nominated artist, her adventurous musical spirit has also led to her becoming a respected authority on the history and preservation of Chinese musical traditions, reflected in her recorded and live performances and multi-cultural collaborations.
Having been brought up in the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, Wu Man is known for her outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire but also recognized as a leading interpreter of contemporary compositions , as well as her work in jazz and cross-cultural music. Today’s most prominent composers including Terry Riley, Philip Glass, the late Lou Harrison, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bun-Ching Lam, Evan Ziporyn, and many others have composed new works for her.
Wu studied at the Central Conservatory of Music
in Beijing
, where her instructors included Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai. She became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa and won the first prize in the 1989 National Music Performance Competition.
Although educated in China, Wu came to the United States in 1990 at the age of 25. She lived in Boston
for many years and now lives in San Diego, California
with her husband and son.
Wu has performed and recorded with the Kronos Quartet
, Henry Threadgill
, Liu Sola
, Martin Simpson
, and Yo-Yo Ma
's The Silk Road Ensemble, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, the Philip Glass Ensemble
, Wu Man & Friend series, and many other projects. In 1999, she became the first Chinese musician to play at the White House
.http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/arts/music/02king.html She played there, together with Yo-Yo Ma, in honor of Zhu Rongji
, the premier
of China. Also In 1999, Wu was chosen by Ma to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize in music and communication. The award consisted of a bronze statue of famous Canadian pianist Gould himself. In 1998 she was a first Chinese traditional performing artist selected as a Bunting Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University. In 2008 she was awarded a [United States Artists] Fellowship.
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
virtuoso and composer. Described as "the artist most responsible for bring the pipa to the Western World" by the Los Angeles Times, US-based, Chinese-born musician Wu Man has carved out a career creating and fostering projects that give this ancient Chinese instrument a new role in today’s music world. A Grammy Award-nominated artist, her adventurous musical spirit has also led to her becoming a respected authority on the history and preservation of Chinese musical traditions, reflected in her recorded and live performances and multi-cultural collaborations.
Having been brought up in the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, Wu Man is known for her outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire but also recognized as a leading interpreter of contemporary compositions , as well as her work in jazz and cross-cultural music. Today’s most prominent composers including Terry Riley, Philip Glass, the late Lou Harrison, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bun-Ching Lam, Evan Ziporyn, and many others have composed new works for her.
Wu studied at the 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...
in Beijing
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...
, where her instructors included Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai. She became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa and won the first prize in the 1989 National Music Performance Competition.
Although educated in China, Wu came to the United States in 1990 at the age of 25. She lived in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for many years and now lives in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with her husband and son.
Wu has performed and recorded with the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
, Liu Sola
Liu Sola
Liu Sola is a Chinese composer, author, and vocalist.She has worked with James Blood Ulmer, Jerome Bailey, Wu Man, Henry Threadgill, Umar Bin Hassan, and Bill Laswell....
, Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in the British Isles, America and beyond.-Biography:...
, and Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
's The Silk Road Ensemble, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, the Philip Glass Ensemble
Philip Glass Ensemble
The Philip Glass Ensemble is a musical group founded by composer Philip Glass in 1968 to serve as a performance outlet for his experimental minimalist music. The Ensemble's instrumentation became a hallmark of Glass' early minimalist style...
, Wu Man & Friend series, and many other projects. In 1999, she became the first Chinese musician to play at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/arts/music/02king.html She played there, together with Yo-Yo Ma, in honor of Zhu Rongji
Zhu Rongji
Zhū Róngjī is a prominent Chinese politician who served as the Mayor and Party chief in Shanghai between 1987 and 1991, before serving as Vice-Premier and then the fifth Premier of the People's Republic of China from March 1998 to March 2003.A tough administrator, his time in office saw the...
, the premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
of China. Also In 1999, Wu was chosen by Ma to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize in music and communication. The award consisted of a bronze statue of famous Canadian pianist Gould himself. In 1998 she was a first Chinese traditional performing artist selected as a Bunting Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University. In 2008 she was awarded a [United States Artists] Fellowship.
Discography
- 1993 - Wu Man:
(Nimbus) - 1995 - Zhou Long:
(Composers Recordings, Inc.) - 1996 - Wu Man:
(Nimbus) - 2003 - Wu Man:
(Naxos) - 2003 -
(Asian Improv) - 2003 - Bright Sheng:
(Bis) - 2004 - Lou Harrison:
(Mode) - 2005 -
(Traditional Crossroads) - 2008 - Tan Dun:
(Onyx Classics UK) - 2010 - Wu Man:
(Traditional Crossroads)
With Kronos Quartet
- 1997 -
(Nonesuch) - 1997 - Tan Dun:
(Nonesuch) - 2008 - Terry Riley:
(Nonesuch)
With Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle
- 2005 -
With Liu Sola
- 1994 -
(Axiom) - 1997 -
(Avant Japan) - 2001 -
(Also Productions)
With The Silk Road Ensemble
- 2002 -
(enhanced SACD) (Sony) - 2005 -
(Sony) - 2007 -
(Sony Classics) - 2009 -
(World Village & In a Circle Records)
Compilations
- 1994 -
(Nimbus) - 1997 -
- 1998 -
- 1998 -
(3-CD set) (Ellipsis) - 2008 -
(CSO Resound)
External links
- Wu Man official site
- Wu Man biography
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wu-Man/138665362813863?ref=ts
- http://www.songlines.co.uk/interactive/062/
Interviews
- http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2009/11/thursday-on-the-newshour-wu-man.html Wu Man Profiled on PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
- Wu Man interview