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, Taiwanese conductor 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 the competition’s youngest triple laureate at the time. In 2023, he received the Second Prize, Audience Prize, and the Prize for Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work at the Hong Kong International Conducting Competition, leading to engagements across Europe and Asia.

Wu is Resident Conductor of the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, with a music director–level remit encompassing programming, artistic planning, and long-term artistic development. His work has contributed to a marked strengthening of the orchestra’s visibility and critical standing in Taiwan, shaped through rigorous rehearsal work and thematically curated programmes balancing depth with accessibility. Recent highlights include leading the Asian premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Swing Symphony and giving the Taiwan premiere of Fazıl Say’s Cello Concerto Never Give Up with Camille Thomas. He 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.

In Europe, Wu has appeared with 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. With the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, he undertook a regional tour across Pays de la Loire (France). In Asia, he has conducted the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Macao Orchestra, and Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, as well as major orchestras in Taiwan including the Taiwan Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

He has been invited on multiple occasions to step in at short notice with the Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra), replacing conductors such as Gábor Venzago and Martin Sieghart.

He has collaborated with soloists including Lang Lang, Nemanja Radulović, Daniel Müller-Schott, Ilya Gringolts, Makoto Ozone, Alexei Volodin, Oliver Charlier, Camille Thomas, and Tzimon Barto, among others. 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 with Riccardo Massi and Juliana Grigoryan. His earlier opera work includes Bellini’s La sonnambula and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.

Across genres, Wu is officially certified by Warner Bros. to conduct the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. His recording projects include Silvergrass (New World Records), featuring music by Shih-Hui Chen with pipa virtuoso Wu Man and cellist Wen-Sinn Yang.

In 2026, he will lead the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra on tour in Japan. 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.