Yao-Yu Wu

Wu a réalisé la finale la plus brillante, sa gestuelle très élégante et étudiée galvanisant l'orchestre dans un Oiseau de feu électrique et dansant. Si la philosophie du concours est de récompenser une « nature », le choix est incontestable car le potentiel de Wu est énorme.

— Le Figaro

“Wu delivered the most brilliant performance of the final; his refined and elegantly crafted gestures galvanized the orchestra in an electrifying and dance-like Firebird. If the philosophy of the competition is to reward innate musical nature, then the choice is indisputable — Wu’s potential is immense.”

— Le Figaro

Born in Taipei in 1989, Yao-Yu Wu received his early musical training in his hometown before continuing his studies in Vienna. At the age of twenty-four he won the First Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize at the Besançon International Conducting Competition, becoming at that time the youngest triple-laureate in the competition’s history. In 2023 he received the Second Prize, the Audience Prize, and the Prize for the Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work at the Hong Kong International Conducting Competition, leading to engagements with orchestras and opera productions across Europe and Asia.

Wu currently serves as Resident Conductor (with Music Director responsitilities) of the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, overseeing the orchestra’s programming, artistic planning, and long-term creative development. In recent seasons he has helped shape the orchestra through rigorous rehearsal work, thematic programmes that balance depth with accessibility, and large-scale interdisciplinary collaborations. Under his artistic leadership, the orchestra has expanded its ensemble cohesion, repertoire diversity, and public profile, becoming one of the most closely watched symphony orchestras in Taiwan in recent years. Wu has previously served as Associate Conductor of the Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra) and as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

His guest appearances span Europe and Asia. He has conducted the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra; the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Macao Orchestra, and the Kobe Chamber Orchestra; as well as the Taiwan Philharmonic, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. With the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire he undertook a tour of the Loire region, appearing in multiple cities across the orchestra’s home territory. He has collaborated with a wide range of international soloists including Lang Lang, Nemanja Radulović, Daniel Müller-Schott, Ilya Gringolts, Makoto Ozone, Alexei Volodin, and Oliver Charlier. Upcoming collaborations include Rudolf Buchbinder, Stephen Hough, Konstantin Lifschitz, and Kerson Leong.

In opera, Wu’s recent productions include Puccini’s Tosca (2024) with Stephen Costello, Aleksay Bogdanov, and Laura Wilde, and Verdi’s Rigoletto (2025) with baritone Alfredo Daza in the title role. In the 2025/26 season he will conduct Puccini’s La Bohème in performances with Riccardo Massi and Juliana Grigoryan. His earlier opera work includes Bellini’s La sonnambula and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.

Across genre boundaries he is regularly invited to conduct film-with-orchestra productions and is officially certified by Warner Bros. as a conductor for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, in which he has led performances in multiple venues, bringing together original film projections and live symphonic sound to engage audiences from diverse backgrounds. His recording projects include Silvergrass, featuring works by Shih-Hui Chen with pipa virtuoso Wu Man and cellist Wen-Sinn Yang, released on New World Records, reflecting his ongoing engagement with contemporary and cross-cultural repertoire.

In 2026 Wu will lead the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra on tour in Japan, including performances at Tokyo Opera City and other major venues. In addition to his performances, he is actively involved in education and outreach, frequently appearing as a presenter, lecturer, and writer, fostering broader public understanding of classical music. He has been named “Musician of the Year” by PAR Performing Arts Review and was a finalist for Taiwan’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award.