Wu Man and her pipa. [Photo/Tide News]

Wu Man, a Hangzhou-born pipa virtuoso and Grammy-winning artist, has spent decades breaking musical boundaries — bringing China's iconic lute to global audiences through bold cross-genre collaborations and cultural exchange.

As a distinguished professor at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and a founding member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Ensemble, Wu has earned seven Grammy nominations and helped win the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2017. Known for blending the pipa with jazz, classical, and contemporary styles, she continues to expand the instrument's expressive range.

Born in 1964 near West Lake, Wu began with liuqin at age nine before switching to pipa and later becoming the Central Conservatory of Music's first pipa major to enter graduate studies. After early success in China, she moved to the United States in 1990, determined to see how far traditional Chinese music could travel.

In the US, Wu built her career from scratch — performing at community centers and small festivals before stepping onto major stages. A 1992 collaboration with the Kronos Quartet became a turning point for her, proving the pipa could stand confidently alongside contemporary Western music. She later became the first Chinese instrumentalist to debut a pipa concerto at Carnegie Hall.

Her work with the Silkroad Ensemble brought Chinese plucked-string traditions into a broader global dialogue. Wu believes that true fusion requires deep cultural understanding: "Finding common ground while respecting each musical language creates a shared spark," she says.

In recent years, Wu has expanded her mission beyond performance. She curated the China Festival at Carnegie Hall in 2019, spotlighting folk traditions such as Shaanxi's laoqiang shadow play — an art form she calls "a raw, powerful expression of life". The performances sold out and won enthusiastic responses from Western audiences.

Wu also remains committed to education. As a visiting professor at Zhejiang Conservatory, she leads masterclasses and global workshops, encouraging young musicians to explore beyond stylistic boundaries.

To Wu, bringing Chinese culture to the world is both a responsibility and a joy. "Every folk art is a pearl waiting to shine," she says. "Our job is to help it find the stage it deserves."

Wu Man (in blue), Yo-Yo Ma (in pink), and other members of the Silkroad Ensemble. [Photo/Tide News]