- Biography
Yao-Yu WU
“Yao-Yu Wu gave an extremely outstanding performance in the final round – when he conducted Stravinsky’s ballet music Firebird, his elegant, exquisite gestures inspired the orchestra with enthusiasm.” – Le Figaro
Currently the Associate Conductor of the Taiwan Philharmonic and Music Director of the Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Taiwanese conductor Yao-Yu Wu is regarded as one of the most promising conductors of the new generation.
In 2013, at the age of 23, Wu came to international attention when he won the First Prize, Orchestra Award and Audience Award at the 53rd Besançon International Conducting Competition for Young Conductors. With his thoughtful interpretation and elegant conducting style, he has been invited all over Europe and Asia since then. In addition to conducting the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in the famous St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, he has also collaborated with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire in a series of concert tours in the French region. He has been invited as a guest conductor by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Macau Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic etc.
Wu was selected as one of the “2013 People of the Year in Music” by the Performing Arts Review magazine, and nominated by the Taiwan Government for the “Top 10 Outstanding Young Person” in 2014. In search of higher artistic value, he rejected most of his concert invitations in the 2017/2018 season and chose to return to studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.