Wu Wei

Wu Wei (born April 29, 1970) is a Chinese musician, composer, and sheng player based in Germany. He performs traditional Chinese repertoire but also European baroque and classical works, as well as contemporary avant-garde music and jazz.

Biography Wu Wei was born in Gaoyou, China. He studied sheng at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He received a DAAD scholarship in 1995, enabling him to study at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory in Berlin, where he is now based.

Musical career He settled in Germany after beginning his studies there.

As a sheng player, he has helped this instrument, with a four thousand-year history, to become popular in Europe and aided the development of its contemporary repertoire. He has developed new playing techniques, commissioned new repertoire, and integrated different genres and styles, Jukka Tiensuu, Unsuk Chin, John Cage, Enjott Schneider, Toshio Hosokawa, Jörg Widmann, Tan Dun, Chen Qigang, Guo Wenjing, Ruo Huang and Guus Janssen.

Awards

1996 - Musica Vitale Competition Germany Unsuk Chin: 3 Concertos: Piano Concerto / Cello Concerto / Šu for Sheng and Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon, 2014 Erratic Wish Machine. Stefan Schultze - Large Ensemble, Wu Wei. WhyPlayJazz, 2015 John Cage: Two3. Stefan Hussong & Wu Wei. Wergo, 2015 Automated Shadows. Insight Music, 2017 Silk Baroque, Wu Wei, Holland Baroque. PentaTone Classics, 2019