The Wu Quartet was founded at Chetham’s School of Music in 2002. Whilst at Chetham’s the quartet gave many performances at venues such as Lincoln’s Inn, London and the Drill Hall, Lincoln, and were winners of the Dewhurst Torevell Chamber Music Competition and Mozart Chamber Music Award. In 2004 they were invited to perform for Prince Edward’s 40th Birthday celebrations at Buckingham Palace.
Between them, the quartet hold degrees from the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since moving to London, the quartet has given many recitals including the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh; the Warrington Chamber Music Society, the Lincoln International Chamber Music Series where they collaborated with Roger Vignoles and Mark Padmore, and in 2006 were invited to perform Mozart’s E flat Piano Quartet with the former BBC Radio 3 Young Generation Artist Ashley Wass in Lincoln. In May 2009 they gave a recital for the Cavatina Trust in Finchley Road, London; following a recommendation from Leos Cepicky of the Wihan Quartet. More recent engagements have included recitals at Conway Hall, London; Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester and Hindon Music Society in Salisbury. In April 2008 the Wu Quartet gave two recitals in Maastriicht, Holland.
The quartet regularly attends Pro Corda Musical Encounters where they receive coaching from the Wihan Quartet with whom they have built an excellent rapport. The quartet has been invited by the Wihan Quartet to perform the Mendelssohn Octet in the Czech Republic in 2010. In 2007 they attended the Repton International Summer School and in 2008 were selected for Peter Cropper’s masterclasses at IMS Prussia Cove in Cornwall. Following a masterclass in May 2009 with former cellist of the Beaux Arts Trio, Bernard Greenhouse, the Wu Quartet have been invited to spend a week at Cape Cod, USA where they will receive intensive coaching from Mr Greenhouse. Other teachers include Gyorgy Pauk and Mark Knight.
For the academic year 2008/2009 the Wu Quartet was quartet in residence at Repton School, Derbyshire. Committed to education work, the quartet has also given regular workshops at Foremarke Preparatory School and the Grace Dieux School in Derbyshire. In the summer of 2009, the Wu Quartet were also String Quartet in Residence at the London Masterclasses held at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.
The quartet will make their Purcell Room debut in October 2009 as part of Peter Maxwell Davies’ 75th Birthday celebrations where they will perform his Naxos Quartet No.8. For the 2009/2010 season the Wu Quartet has been selected for representation by Park Lane Group and will be performing again at the Purcell Room, London as part of the New Year Series in January 2010. They are also recipients of a Philharmonia Orchestra/Martin Musical Scholarship Ensemble Award and as a result will give a full evening recital at the Purcell Room in June 2010. In November 2009, the Wu Quartet undertook a tour of Holland to great critical acclaim.
Other future engagements include recitals at the Red Hedgehog, Highgate; St James’ Church, Piccadilly; City Music Society at the Bishopsgate Institute; St Mary’s, Perivale and a return to Holland and Belgium in 2010. The Wu Quartet will be performing for HRH Prince of Wales at Highgrove in June 2010 at the invitation of the Philharmonia Orchestra and at the Guildhall, London for the Lord Mayor and Princess Anne in March 2010
