About Zihan Wu

Zihan Wu (b.2001) is a Chinese composer/pianist. Her music is often praised for her sophisticated and imaginative crafts of personal soundscapes. She is interested in exploring the interrelationships between different colors, objects, time, and space, and weaving them into a unique and personal soundscape.

 

Zihan has collaborated with renowned ensembles, including Meitar Ensemble, Divertimento Ensemble, JACK Quartet, Fabrik Quartet, Ensemble Court-Circuit, members of the New York Philharmonic and the Lviv Philharmonic, Metiss Quartet, Yale Philharmonia, Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble, Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, and Ossia New Music Ensemble, and among others with performances across the U.S., China, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Israel, and Lithuania. Her works have been featured in the 2024 Rondò Season in Milan and will be programmed for the 2025 ECLAT Festival Stuttgart.

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She has been selected as a composition fellow at major festivals, including the DeGaetano Composition Institute by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (2025), Aspen International Music Festival (2024), Barcelona Modern International Composition Workshop (2024), CEME International Music Festival (2023), International Workshop for Young Composers (2023), Bowdoin International Music Festival (2022), New Music On the Point (2022), and Beijing International Composition Workshop (2019).

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Her works have won several prizes including 1st prize in the 10th Matan Givol International Composers Competition; winner of 1st Call for Scores - Biennale “Annamaria Strano”; 1st prize in the MaestrosVision Award International Composition Competition; 1st prize in the 9th Beijing International Composition Workshop; 3rd prize in the Improta Ensemble Composition Competition and "Yinzhong" Cup Composition Competition. She has also been honored with the Eastman Student Composition Award, Eastman Bernard Rogers Memorial Prize, Eastman Luis Lane Prize, and "Wanye" Cup Composition Competition for Chinese Contemporary Piano Works.

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Currently based in New Haven, CT, Zihan is pursuing her Master of Music in composition at the Yale School of Music, studying with Martin Bresnick, Aaron Jay Kernis, Katherine Balch, and Christopher Theofanidis. She earned her BM degree at the Eastman School of Music with high distinction in composition and piano after graduating from the Music Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She has also studied with Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Robert Morris, David Liptak, Matthew Barber, and Qing Shao, and received guidance from composers such as Hèctor Parra, Daniel D’adamo, Philippe Leroux, Sarah Nemstov, Mauro Lanza, Derek Bermel, Andreia Pinto Correia, Augusta Read Thomas, among others.

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Her piano mentors include Melvin Chen, Douglas Humpherys, Vincent Lenti, and Xiangjun Yu. As a pianist, Zihan has received masterclasses from Robert McDonald, Logan Skelton, Julian Martin, and among others. She is a member of the U.S. National Music Honor Society Pi Kappa Lambda.

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Besides music, she enjoys ballet, hiking, traveling, and food :)

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