Wu Man (; born January 2, 1963) is a Chinese

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional 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 rangi ...

player and composer. Trained in Pudong-style pipa performance at the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM; ) is the national music academy of China, located in Beijing. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The academy is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Overview Fo ...

in Beijing, she is known for playing in a broad range of musical styles and introducing the pipa and its Chinese heritage into Western genres. She has performed and recorded extensively with the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

and Silk Road Ensemble and has premiered works by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist music, minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notab ...

Bright Sheng Bright Sheng (; born December 6, 1955) is a Chinese-born American composer, pianist and conductor. Sheng has earned many honors for his music and compositions, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001; he also was a two-time Pulitzer Prize final ...

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a pairing which has shaped much of his life and mu ...

, Zhao Jiping, and Zhou Long, among many others. She has recorded and appeared on over 40 albums, five of which have been nominated for

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

. In 2013, she was named Instrumentalist of the Year by ''

Musical America ''Musical America'' is the oldest American magazine on classical music, first appearing in 1898 in print and in 1999 online magazine, online, at musicalamerica.com. It is published by Performing Arts Resources, LLC, of East Windsor, New Jersey. ...

'', becoming the first performer of a non-Western instrument to receive this award. She additionally received The

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

Award in 2008.

Biography

Born in

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, Wu Man began taking pipa lessons at age 9. When universities opened their doors to new students in 1977 after the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

had ended, Wu Man traveled to Beijing to audition for the

. At 13, she became the youngest student at the school, and her final audition was covered in national newspapers.Wu Man. "Chinese Idol." The Silk Road Project Newsletter. May 2011. Accessed July 25, 2014. http://archive.silkroadproject.org/News/Newsletter/July11/ChineseIdolPart2/tabid/1483/Default.aspx While at the Conservatory, she studied Pudong-style pipa performance under Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai. She was first exposed to non-Chinese music in 1979 when

Seiji Ozawa was a Japanese conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), where he served from 1973 for 29 years. After cond ...

and the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

performed in Beijing, and again in 1980 when she attended

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the United States when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union a ...

’s master classes at the Conservatory. She received her Master's Degree (the first such degree conferred on a pipa player) in 1987. Wu Man first performed in the United States as a member of the China Youth Arts Troupe in 1985. She then moved to the U.S. five years later to pursue a career in pipa performance that would allow her repertoire to extend beyond traditional Chinese music. Upon arriving in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

with her husband (who had begun working on his Ph.D. in chemistry at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

), she began working with ensembles such as the

( see below), and premiered works by Chinese and Chinese-American composers. In 1997, she gave the premiere of

's Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra with

Dennis Russell Davies Dennis Russell Davies (born April 16, 1944, in Toledo, Ohio) is an American conductor and pianist. He is chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic and of the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. Biography Davies studied piano and conducting at ...

conducting the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra at

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. Written specifically for Wu Man, the work has been recorded twice, the latter of which (with the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

and Miguel Harth-Bedoya) was nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra. In 1998, Wu Man was awarded a fellowship to study at the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College.The Harvard University Gazette. "Thirty-Seven Women Appointed Fellows at Radcliffe's Bunting Institute." Accessed July 22, 2014. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/05.28/Thirty-SevenWom.html That same year, she became a founding member of

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

's Silk Road Project ( see below). In 2003, Wu Man began working with

, performing in the premiere of his opera '' The Sound of a Voice'' at the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

. She is featured in the recording of a suite from this work, which was released in 2007 on Glass's private label, Orange Mountain Music.Philip Glass. "Recordings: Theater Music, Vol. 1" Accessed July 28, 2014. http://www.philipglass.com/music/recordings/theater_music.php In 2004, Wu Man was approached by Glass once again to collaborate on a commission from the

Cultural Olympiad Cultural programmes of the Olympic Games have taken various forms over the years. From 1912 until shortly after the Second World War in 1948, art competitions were held to accompany the Summer Olympics. Since 1952 a series of cultural events has ...

on the occasion of the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens. Taking Orion as its title and inspiration (the constellation can be seen from both hemispheres throughout the year), the piece contains movements representing various countries around the world. The third movement, "China", was co-written by Glass and Wu Man, and features Wu Man on pipa. Additional collaborators include

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

, Mark Atkins, Foday Musa Suso, Ashley MacIsaac, and Uakti. The work was premiered prior to the Games, and recorded and released on Orange Mountain Music in 2005. In 2009, Wu Man curated a pair of concerts at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

as part of the ''Ancient Paths, Modern Voices'' Festival. The concerts focused on music from remote areas of China, including traditions of the Dong and Tujia peoples, as well as

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

ritual. The process of finding these musicians was documented in the 2012 film ''Discovering a Musical Heartland: Wu Man's Return to China''. Wu Man's achievements in bringing the pipa to new audiences were recognized at the end of 2012 when ''

'' selected her as the 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year. She is the first performer of a non-Western instrument to receive this award. Later that season, Wu Man premiered her composition ''Blue and Green'' with New York–based chamber orchestra The Knights. Arranged for pipa and string orchestra by Lev Zhurbin and The Knights' Colin Jacobsen, the work is influenced by folk melodies that Wu Man heard travelling through China. That same season, Wu Man premiered Zhao Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No. 2 at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

with the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

, who commissioned the work along with a consortium of North American orchestras. In 2014, Wu Man was named the first Musician-in-Residence at the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United State ...

. The residency included educational outreach programs, as well as a commission for a new composition. The piece, ''Three Sharing'', was written by Wu Man for pipa, janggo, and

shakuhachi A is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

, and was premiered on June 17, 2014 at the Huntington's

Chinese Garden The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Emperor of China, Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and t ...

Collaborations

Kronos Quartet

Wu Man first performed with the

in the premiere of Zhou Long's ''Soul'' for pipa and string quartet at the Pittsburgh New Music Festival in 1992. The Quartet's founding violinist, David Harrington, says he "heard all sorts of possibilities in Wu Man's vivid pipa sound,"Kronos Quartet. "A Chinese Home." Accessed July 23, 2014. http://kronosquartet.org/projects/detail/a_chinese_home/ and the Quartet subsequently commissioned

to write a piece for the same instrumentation. The resulting ''Ghost Opera'', a semi-staged work with minimal sets and lighting, received its premiere at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

in 1995. The work was later recorded and released on Nonesuch in 1997. On the occasion of

's 70th birthday in 2005, the Quartet commissioned a new work from him that would include pipa. After working with Wu Man for over a year to learn the intricacies of the instrument, Riley composed ''The Cusp of Magic'', a work in six movements that included Wu Man on pipa and vocals. All five musicians also play a variety of percussion instruments and toys. The premiere was presented by Cal Performances at Hertz Hall on the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

campus, and was recorded and released on Nonesuch in 2008. Wu Man's most recent project with the Quartet is a multimedia work entitled ''A Chinese Home'', co-conceived by Wu Man, Harrington, and Chinese theater director Chen Shi-Zheng. The work, which received its premiere at Carnegie's Zankel Hall in 2009, depicts a broad stretch of Chinese history, from the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

through the

Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social revolution, social and political revolution in China that began in 1927 and culminated with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The revolution was led by the Chinese C ...

to present day. Wu Man continues to perform regularly with Kronos and was a featured guest artist in the Quartet's 40th Anniversary concerts in the 2013-14 season at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Cal Performances, Center for the Art of Performance at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, and Carnegie Hall. She appears on five albums with the Quartet, including ''

Early Music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

'', in which she plays

John Dowland John Dowland ( – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", " N ...

's ''Lachrymæ Antiquæ'' on the ruan; ''

You've Stolen My Heart ''You've Stolen My Heart'' is a 2005 studio album from the Kronos Quartet, featuring arrangements of the music of Indian composer Rahul Dev Burman, with vocals by Asha Bhosle. She sang the original versions of the album's songs and was married t ...

'', a collection of Bollywood songs by Rahul Dev Burman; and ''A Thousand Thoughts'', the Quartet's 40th anniversary compilation album.

Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project

Wu Man is a founding member of

's Silk Road Project, a non-profit organization established in 1998 to foster cross-cultural communication through musical performance and education. Two years after its inception, the Project hosted a workshop at the

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

that evolved into the Silk Road Ensemble, an eclectic group of musicians representing countries along the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. Wu Man has performed regularly with the Ensemble since its inception in 2000, recording five albums and touring internationally. In the 2006-07 season, the Silk Road Project partnered with the

for a yearlong celebration called Silk Road Chicago, culminating in the 2008 album release ''Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago''. Wu Man appears on this album as a soloist, performing

's Pipa Concerto with the CSO and conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Wu Man has also performed multiple times with Yo-Yo Ma outside of the Silk Road Ensemble. In 1999, Wu Man and Ma performed at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, premiering

's Three Songs for Pipa and Violoncello. That same year, Ma was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize and selected Wu Man as the Glenn Gould Protégé.Glenn Gould Foundation. http://glenngould.ca/protege-prize/ They performed together again in 2003, premiering Sheng’s ''The Song and Dance of Tears'' alongside pianist Emanuel Ax, with David Zinman conducting the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

Miscellaneous cross-cultural collaborations

In 2005, Wu Man and composer Chen Yi co-wrote a multimedia work titled ''Ancient Dances'', commissioned by the Walton Arts Center in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

. Taking its inspiration from the poetry of

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...

, the multimedia work features video art by Kathleen Owen that incorporates

Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely Visual arts, visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held ...

and

paintings Painting is a visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or " support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush. Other implements, ...

by Wu Man's father. In performances of the work, Wu Man and percussionist Robert Schulz played in front of two vertical screens that displayed Owen's art. The project forms the first installment in what Wu Man refers to as her larger "Return to the East" project, which includes many of the projects discussed below, as well as her documentary ''Discovering a Musical Heartland''. Later in 2005, she recorded the album ''Wu Man and Friends'' with Lee Knight (

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

Appalachian dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of t ...

, mouth bow, vocals), Julian Kytasty (

bandura A bandura ( ) is a Ukrainians, Ukrainian plucked string instrument, plucked-string folk-instrument. It combines elements of the zither and lute and, up until the 1940s, was also often called a kobza. Early instruments () had 5 to 12 strings and ...

sopilka Sopilka (, ) is a name applied to a variety of woodwind instruments of the end-blown flute family used by Ukrainian folk instrumentalists. ''Sopilka'' most commonly refers to a fife made of a variety of materials (but traditionally out of elderb ...

, vocals), and James Makubuya ( endongo, adungu, vocals), which was released on the Traditional Crossroads label in 2006. The album contains the music of Chinese, Appalachian, Ukrainian, and Ugandan folk traditions, arranged to combine these plucked instruments from around the world.Traditional Crossroads. "Wu Man and Friends." Accessed July 18, 2014. http://www.traditionalcrossroads.com/shop/article_CD%25204329/Wu-Man-and-Friends.html Since the album release, Wu Man, Knight, Kytasty, and Makubuya have performed their arrangements in concerts around the U.S., including Carnegie's Zankel Hall in 2006 and the

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is a six-week-long summer Festival of chamber music held annually in July and August and located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was founded in 1972 and presented its first series of concerts in 1973. Well-known mu ...

in 2010. In 2010, Wu Man traveled to Taiwan to study the music of

Taiwanese aborigines Taiwanese may refer to: * of or related to Taiwan **Culture of Taiwan **Geography of Taiwan ** Taiwanese cuisine *Languages of Taiwan ** Formosan languages ** Taiwanese Hokkien, also known as the Taiwanese language * Taiwanese people, residents of ...

, leading to a series of concerts in 2012 titled "Wu Man and Aboriginal Friends from Taiwan (吳蠻與原住民朋友)". In these concerts, Wu Man was joined onstage by musicians of the Paiwan, Atayal, and Bunun tribes, performing arrangements of traditional and ritual songs with pipa accompaniment. Performances took place at the Taiwan International Festival of Arts at the

National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei The National Theater Hall ( zh, t=國家戲劇院 , poj=Kok-ka Hì-kio̍k-īⁿ , p=Guójiā Xìjù Yuàn) and National Concert Hall ( zh, t=國家音樂廳 , p=Guójiā Yīnyuè Tīng, poj=Kok-ka Im-ga̍k-thiaⁿ, labels=yes), or together t ...

, and at the New Vision Arts Festival in Hong Kong. With funds from the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, Wu Man collaborated with Central Asian musicians to produce the CD/DVD ''Borderlands: Wu Man and Master Musicians from the Silk Route'', released on

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...

in 2012. The album/documentary forms the tenth and final installment in the record label's Music of Central Asia series. The music focuses heavily on the

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

muqam tradition, a system of 12 modes that draws loosely from

Arabic maqam In traditional Arabic music, maqam (, literally "ascent"; ') is the system of melodic modes, which is mainly melodic. The word ''maqam'' in Arabic means place, location or position. The Arabic ''maqam'' is a melody type. It is "a technique ...

. She is joined on the album by Abduvali Abdurashidov on sato; Sirojiddin Juraev on

dutar The ''dutar'' (also ''Dotara, dotar''; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central Asia. Its name comes from the Persian language, Persian word for "two strings", دوتار ''do tār'' (< � ...

; Hua'er vocalist Ma Ersa; Abdulla Majnun on diltar (his own invention, combining the plucked

tanbur The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...

and bowed satar into a single double-necked instrument), dutar, tanbur, and vocals; Hesenjan Tursun on satar and vocals; Sanubar Tursun on dutar and vocals; and Yasin Yaqup on dap. In 2013, Wu Man received an Individual Artist Fellowship from San Diego Foundation's Creative Catalyst Fund to pursue a project titled "When China Meets Latin America", collaborating with son jarocho quartet Son de San Diego. In their initial rehearsals, Wu Man and Son de San Diego explored the commonalities in Chinese and Latin American folk traditions, both of which, Son de San Diego's Eduardo Garcia Acosta notes, have "love songs, silvery dawns, birdsongs, broken hearts, tales of sailing, and the sheer joy of dancing." Following these rehearsals, the ''ad hoc'' quintet has performed arrangements of Chinese and Latin American folk music in workshops and concerts presented by the Carlsbad Music Festival. Wu Man performed in several concerts at the 2023 Ojai Music Festival, including two performances of "Ghost Opera".

Personal life

Wu Man lives with her husband, Peng Wang, in Carlsbad,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where they moved in 2004 after her husband accepted a job there. She and her husband became naturalized U.S. citizens in 2000, two years after the birth of their son.

Discography

Solo or as leader * 1991 — ''The Over Lord Removed Off His Armour'' ( China Record Corporation) * 1993 — ''Chinese Music for the Pipa'' ( Nimbus) * 1996 — ''Chinese Traditional and Contemporary Music'' (Nimbus) * 2000 — ''Chinese Traditional & Contemporary Music for Pipa & Ensemble'' (Nimbus) * 2000 — Liu Sola: ''Spring Snowfall'' (Also Productions) * 2003 — ''Pipa: From a Distance'' ( Naxos World) * 2005 — ''Wu Man and Friends'' (Traditional Crossroads) * 2010 — ''Immeasurable Light'' (Traditional Crossroads) * 2012 — ''Music of Central Asia, Vol. 10: Borderlands: Wu Man and Master Musicians from the Silk Route'' (

) * 2013 — ''Elegant Pipa Classics'' ( Wind Music) * 2014 — Wu Man, Luis Conte, and

Daniel Ho Daniel Ho (born March 5, 1968) is an American musician, composer and producer specializing in innovative approaches to slack-key guitar, ukulele, and Music of Hawaii, Hawaiian music. He has recorded 18 solo albums, some of which have won or were ...

: ''Our World in Song: An Odyssey of Musical Treasures'' (Wind Music) Orchestral * 2004 —

: Concerto for Pipa with String Orchestra, on ''Lou Harrison: For Strings''
with Rebecca Miller and The New Professionals Orchestra ( Mode) * 2004 — Ye Xiaogang: Pipa Concerto, on ''Xiaogang Ye: The Last Paradise / Winter / Pipa Concerto / Horizon''
with

Günther Herbig Günther Herbig (born 30 November 1931) is a German conductor. Born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Herbig studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar in 1951 (then in East Germany) with Hermann Abendroth. He later was a stude ...

and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken ( WERGO) * 2008 —

: Pipa Concerto, on ''Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto / Hayashi: Viola Concerto / Takemitsu: Nostalghia''
with

Yuri Bashmet Yuri Abramovich Bashmet (born 24 January 1953) is a Russian conductor, violinist, and violist. Biography Yuri Bashmet was born on 24 January 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet (née Kri ...

and Moscow Soloists (ONYX) * 2008 — Lou Harrison: Pipa Concerto, on ''Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago''
with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and

( CSO Resound) with

* 1997 — '' Tan Dun: Ghost Opera'' ( Nonesuch) * 1997 — ''

'' (Nonesuch) * 2005 — ''

'' (Nonesuch) * 2008 — '' Terry Riley: The Cusp of Magic'' (Nonesuch) * 2014 — Kronos Quartet: ''A Thousand Thoughts'' (Nonesuch) with Aga Khan Master Musicians * 2023 — Aga Khan Master Musicians: ''Nowruz'' (

/ SAMAA) with Silk Road Ensemble * 2002 — The Silk Road Ensemble with

: ''Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet'' (

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...

) * 2005 — The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: ''Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon'' (Sony Classical) * 2007 — The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: ''New Impossibilities'' (Sony Classical) * 2009 — Silk Road Ensemble: ''Off the Map'' ( World Village) * 2013 — The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: ''A Playlist without Borders'' (CD) / ''Live from

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

'' (DVD) (Sony Classical) with

* 2005 — Philip Glass Ensemble: ''Orion'' (Orange Mountain Music) * 2007 — Suite from '' The Sound of a Voice'', on ''Theater Music, Vol. 1'' (Orange Mountain Music) with

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the c ...

* 1998 —

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

: ''Music for Airports'' ( POINT Music) * 2001 —

: ''

In C ''In C'' is a composition by Terry Riley from 1964. It is one of the most successful works by an American composer and a seminal example of minimal music, minimalism. The score directs any number of musicians to repeat a series of 53 melodic fr ...

'' (

Cantaloupe The cantaloupe ( ) is a type of true melon (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. ...

) with Liu Sola * 1994 — Sola: ''Blues in the East'' (

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

, 1994) * 1995 — Sola & Wu Man: ''China Collage'' (

Avant Avant can refer to: People * Avant, part of music production team Bloodshy & Avant * Avant (singer), Myron Avant, an American singer * Clarence Avant, a music executive * Jason Avant, is a US American football player Places * Avant, Oklahoma, ...

, 1995) * 1999 — ''Sola & Friends'' (Also Productions, 1999) with Henry Threadgill *'' Carry the Day'' (Columbia, 1995) Film soundtracks * 1993 — '' The Wedding Banquet'' (

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

) * 1994 — '' Eat Drink Man Woman'' (Rock) Misc. duo * 1997 — with Martin Simpson, guitar: '' Music for the Motherless Child'' ( Water Lily Acoustics) * 2001 — with Yoshio Kurahashi,

shakuhachi A is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

: ''Aki No Yugure (Autumn Dusk)'' (Sparkling Beatnik) * 2003 — with Tatsu Aoki, bass: ''Posture of Reality'' (Asian Improv) Misc. ensemble * 1994 — Henry Threadgill: '' Carry the Day'' ( Columbia) * 1998 — Lam Bun-Ching: ''The Child God'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

) * 2003 —

: ''Silent Temple'' with Shanghai Quartet and Bright Sheng, piano ( BIS) * 2004 — Zhou Long: ''Nature and Spirit'' (Composers Recordings, Inc.) * 2006 — Shih-Hui Chen: ''66 Times: The Voices of Pines and Cedars'' ( Albany) * 2012 — Lei Liang: ''Verge / Tremors of a Memory Chord'' (Naxos) Appearances on anthologies & compilations * 1992 — ''An Anthology of Chinese Traditional and Folk Music, Vol. 4: A Collection of Music Played on the Pipa'' (China Record Corporation) * 1994 — ''World Music Sampler, Volume 2'' (Nimbus) * 1995 — ''A Taste of Asia'' (Nimbus) * 1997 — ''Treasurable Collection of Traditional Chinese Music: Pipa'' * 1998 — ''China: Time to Listen'' (Ellipsis Arts) * 2001 — ''Masterpieces: Pipa'' (China Record Corporation) * 2002 — ''The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan'' (

) * 2002 — ''Chinese Music Classics of the 20th Century: Pipa I'' (China Record Corporation) * 2004 — ''The Classics of CRC Instrumental Music, Vol. 2'' (China Record Corporation)

Awards and honors

* 1989 — Chinese National Traditional Music Performance Prize * 1998 — Bunting Fellowship * 1999 —

The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize Created by The Glenn Gould Foundation, The Glenn Gould Prize is an international arts award. The award is named after the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. Description Originally awarded every three years, and now biennially, the Prize is presented t ...

* 2008 —

Fellowship * 2006 — ''Nominated'',

: Best Contemporary World Music Album (for ''You've Stolen My Heart'' with

) * 2009 — ''Nominated'', Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra (for

's Pipa Concerto with the

) * 2009 — ''Nominated'', Grammy Awards: Best Small Ensemble Performance (for

's Pipa Concerto with

and the Moscow Soloists) * 2011 — ''Nominated'', Grammy Awards: Best Classical Crossover Album (for ''Off the Map'' with the Silk Road Ensemble) * 2013 — Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year * 2013 — ''Nominated'', Independent Music Awards: Best World Traditional Song (for "Shadiana" on ''Borderlands'') * 2013 — ''Nominated'', Independent Music Awards: Best Long Form Video (for ''Borderlands'') * 2014 — ''Nominated'', Independent Music Awards: Best World Traditional Album (for ''Elegant Pipa Classics'') * 2014 — ''Nominated'',

Golden Melody Awards The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music ...

: Best Traditional Album (for ''Elegant Pipa Classics'') * 2014 — ''Nominated'', Grammy Awards: Best World Music Album (for ''Our World in Song'' with Daniel Ho and Luis Conte) * 2023 —

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts

References

External links

Official website

Kronos Quartet

The Silk Road Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Man 1963 births Living people 20th-century Chinese composers Chinese women classical composers City of Toronto's Glenn Gould Protégé Prize winners Contemporary classical music performers Musicians from Hangzhou Pipa players People from Carlsbad, California National Heritage Fellowship winners