Faculty
Wen T. Yu
Piano
As a dedicated soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue, pianist Mr.Yu has won numerous First Prize Winners at the "2019 International Keyboard Institute and Festival Competition" in New York City, the "2020 WPTA Finland International Piano Competition for Solo and Piano Duo Divisions", the "2018 Golden Classical Music Award International Competition" in New York City, the "2020 Rutgers University Mason Gross Concerto Competition", "2021 Global Outstanding Chinese Artist Association International Piano Competition," the "2018 Mannes School of Music Piano Concerto Competition", National Champion at the "Fifth China National Piano Competition" in Xiamen, China. This season, Mr. Yu will be featured as a young artist for the GOCAA concert tours in China.
Mr. Yu has also achieved numerous prizes, including "2020 Concerto Competition of Busan Maru International Music Festival" in Busan, South Korea; "2019 Steinway Award for Outstanding Pianist" from the prestigious Mannes School of Music and the headquarter of Steinway & Sons Company in NYC; the "2018 Ravel Grand Prize", "Robert Casadesus Award" awarded by the Foundation of Maurice Ravel and Écoles d'Art Américaines de Fontainebleau in the Palace of Fontainebleau, France; the Winner of a recipient of "Music Teachers National Association Competition Steinway 2016-2017 Annual Young Artist Award"; the Third Prize Winner at the 9th Metropolitan International Piano Competition at DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City; Third Prize Winner of 2019 Gershwin International Piano Competition; Third Prize at the "Liszt International Piano Competition for Young Pianists" in Moscow, Russia, and many others.
In 2021, after three intensely and highly competitive rounds in nearly one year's contest, Mr. Yu successfully entered the final stage of the 67th Washington International Piano Competition. He was selected as one of the top six finalists from over 200 contestants worldwide. The final round of the competition was presented as a featured Livestream event for global audiences via Zoom-Webinar for the first time in the history of the prestigious and respected Washington International Piano Competition.
A soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Yu has performed concerts multiple times at some of the most prestigious venues, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Steinway & Sons Hall NYC, the Frick Collection Museum, Harris Hall at the Aspen Festival, Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College NYC, Elgar Room of the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Palace of Fontainebleau and the Amphitheatre of Paris Philharmonie in France.
In addition to some conventional venues for the performing arts, Mr. Yu has been invited to give performances including some cultural institutions, the Metropolitan Club, the Union Club of NYC, Columbia University, Polish Consulate NYC, German Consulate NYC, Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, NYC's Bohemian National Hall, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church NYC, Water Club NYC, Young Musicians Forum Concert Series at Niskayuna Library in Schenectady, NY, the historical American Yacht Club in Westchester, NY and many others.
Mr. Yu has also been featured and collaborated with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra of Korea, the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra in Ohio, Mannes Symphony Orchestra, Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic, Columbus Capital Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, etc.
This year, Mr. Yu will be producing his first CD Album, which was commissioned by the Fontainebleau Music Festival & Associations and will be released by a distinguished label for classical music, the KNS Classical. The program's repertoire will feature selected piano compositions by Robert Casadesus, one of the most renowned and legendary musicians of the 20th Century. The CD will also contain exquisite piano selections from Couperin, Debussy, Ravel & Manuel De Falla in pair with Casadesus' music together as parts of the dazzling heritage of French School.
Mr. Yu is currently a candidate for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. He studies with Prof. Vladimir Valjarevic as a full-scholarship and doctoral teaching fellowship recipient. In May 2019, Mr. Yu graduated from Mannes School of Music of The New School with a full scholarship, where he obtained his Master of Music Degree under the tutelage of Prof. Pavlina Dokovska. Among his graduation from Mannes, Mr. Yu has been selected to be the 2019 recipient of the Steinway & Sons Award, given to an outstanding artist in a graduate program.
