Biography

Heralded as "the Lang Lang of the Guitar World" by the distinguished Japanese virtuoso Shin-ichi Fukuda, You Wu represents a rare synthesis of technical brilliance, interpretive depth, and artistic maturity in the world of classical guitar.

He carved his name into history by becoming the first Chinese guitarist ever to achieve a historic double victory at Europe's most esteemed classical guitar competitions: the Forum Gitarre Wien in Vienna and the Liechtenstein International Guitar Competition, both won in the same exceptional year. His supremacy in the field is further demonstrated by an unmatched record of accolades, having earned nearly thirty first and second prizes in major national and international guitar competitions—a distinction that places him at the very pinnacle of Chinese guitarists.

A Prodigious Ascent

His extraordinary talent, first nurtured by his father Xiaoping Wu, announced itself with remarkable clarity. At the mere age of twelve, he made a deliberate and telling choice at his first national competition: forsaking the youth divisions to enter directly into the most demanding Open Category. With breathtaking technical command and maturity that belied his years, he captured the championship—an undisputed victory that instantly established him as China's "guitar prodigy." This achievement made him the youngest Open Category champion in the nation's history, a record that stands to this day. Notably, he would compete exclusively in Open Categories throughout his formative years, a conscious pursuit of the highest artistic challenge that forged his commanding and profoundly resonant stage presence.

Artistic Formation

His artistic path was marked by early and outstanding distinction. At the age of thirteen, he entered the Affiliated Middle School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, having attained the highest professional entrance score, and commenced studies under the tutelage of Professor Dengmin Ye. Throughout six years of rigorous training, he attained six Open Category titles in classical guitar competitions—comprising four national and two international championships. These victories included successes at the Shanghai National Guitar Invitational, the 5th Hubei Guitar Competition & National Elite Invitational, the Tianjin Conservatory “Mingya-Martinez” National Guitar Competition, the 4th Shenyang National Guitar Invitational, the 55th Japan Kyushu International Guitar Competition, and the 2009 Thailand International Guitar Competition.

Vienna: A New Chapter of Excellence

In 2012, You Wu earned top honors in the entrance examination and commenced studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the guidance of maestro Álvaro Pierri—becoming the celebrated artist’s first Chinese student. His years in Vienna constituted an artistic pilgrimage, during which a remarkable series of competition successes not only garnered acclaim but also set a new world record, resonating profoundly throughout the international guitar community.

The year 2017 witnessed You Wu's unprecedented triumphs on the European stage. With performances of impeccable artistry, he claimed the top prize in the Open Category at the Forum Gitarre Wien, one of Europe's most distinguished classical guitar competitions. That same year, he further secured the Open Category championship at the Liechtenstein International Guitar Competition, achieving a historic dual victory that established him as the first Chinese guitarist ever to conquer both renowned events. This exceptional success inaugurated an extensive international concert career, with subsequent solo recital tours across Europe and Asia exceeding fifty performances. He carried his artistic voice to illustrious concert halls in Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Liechtenstein, Romania, Croatia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

You Wu's tenure in Vienna yielded an outstanding collection of nine championships and second prizes from the world's most acclaimed guitar competitions. A career-defining moment arrived at Austria's celebrated CARSA-Casinos Austria Rising Star Award Music Competition 2018, where he became the first guitarist in history to break into the finals. Competing as a soloist against chamber ensembles, he claimed the Second Prize—an unparalleled accomplishment that earned him the title "China's Guitar Hero" from Austrian media.

His artistic prominence was further demonstrated through a chamber recital at Vienna's venerable Musikverein, followed by invited performances at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Linz's esteemed Brucknerhaus that same season.

In 2019, having graduated with perfect academic honors, You Wu returned to China to join the faculty of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music—commencing an influential new chapter in his artistic journey through dedicated mentorship.

Artistic Scholarship & Educational Legacy

Since his appointment to Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, You Wu has curated and presented a series of significant recitals, including From the Renaissance to Red Chapters and Magic on Nylon Strings. A historic milestone was his solo concert The Royal Style—Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Complete Works for Solo Guitar at Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall, where he became the first guitarist in Asia to present the complete solo guitar works of Brazilian music's founding father Heitor Villa-Lobos in a single performance—setting an unmatched record in the region.

In 2024, he collaborated with the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra in fourteen consecutive refined arts concerts. This collaboration continued in June 2025, when he reunited with the orchestra and Artistic Director Yi Zhang for a special season concert, performing Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Guitar Concerto No. 1 in D Major. Further expanding his chamber music repertoire, he will be joining forces with the world-renowned cellist Li-Wei Qin in December 2025 for a distinctive duo recital, Harmonic Dialogues: The Encounter of Classical Guitar and Cello.

His artistic journey has been recognized through sustained support from Switzerland's distinguished Thyll-Foundation, which awarded him its scholarship for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018.

Selected Competition Achievements

First Prizes

2005: 5th China Liaoning National Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2009: Inaugural Shanghai National Guitar Invitational (Open Category)

2009: 55th Japan Kyushu International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2009: Thailand International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2011: 5th Hubei Guitar Competition & National Elite Invitational (Open Category)

2011: Tianjin Conservatory "Mingya-Martinez" National Classical Guitar Invitational (Category A)

2012: 4th Shenyang National Guitar Invitational (Open Category)

2014: Shenyang International Guitar Festival & Competition (Open Category)

2017: 25th Liechtenstein International Guitar Competition "LiGiTa" (Open Category)

2017: 22nd Vienna "Forum Gitarre Wien" International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

Second Prizes

2006: 6th Singapore International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2013: University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna Scholarship Competition

2013: 17th Czech "Kutná Hora" International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2016: Taiwan International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2018: Zagreb International Guitar Competition, Croatia (Open Category)

2018: 22nd Spanish "Ciudad de Coria" International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2018: CARSA-Casinos Austria Rising Star Award Music Competition, Austria

2019: Montenegro International Guitar Competition (First Prize not awarded) (Open Category)

Third Prizes

2013: 17th Spanish "Ciudad de Coria" International Guitar Competition (Open Category)

2013: 56th Tokyo International Guitar Competition, Japan (Second Prize not awarded) (Open Category)

Scholarships & Special Recognitions

2015–2018: Recipient of the Thyll-Foundation Award, Switzerland