Violinist Christopher Wu enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral and chamber musician, teacher and soloist. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Wu joined the first violin section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1988, and holds the Nancy & Jeffery Leininger First Violin Chair. He has previously served as concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Riverside Orchestra and has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, and the Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonics.
An active chamber musician, Wu has played with a wide range of artists including Nancy Wilson, Joshua Bell, and the Muir String Quartet. He is a founding member of the innovative chamber music group Innuendo, hailed by the Boston Herald as “an ensemble notable for its unanimity of spirit and sonority” and for its “warmly intense interpretive powers.” Chris has appeared in numerous festivals in recent seasons including Aspen, Brevard, Heidelberg, Savannah, Masterwork, Stockbridge and St. Bart’s Music Festival.
Mr. Wu is currently on the faculties of Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University and Geneva College. He has taught classes at the University of Texas, Youngstown State University, Ottawa University, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and has served as Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Oklahoma.
As a soloist, Wu has been described by the Tribune-Review as a musician of “virtuoso command with depth of musical understanding.” He has appeared numerous times as a soloist for the PSO and has given recitals to critical acclaim.
Chris’ violin was made in 1727 by Nicolo Gagliano. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, ice hockey, traveling and cooking. He and his wife Annette, reside in Gibsonia with their two children Wesley and Grace. In 1991, he survived a near-fatal automobile accident, and he is grateful for every opportunity to play.