Wu Man

World-leading pipa player Wu Man unveils the magic of traditional Chinese music.

Dating all the way back to the Qin Dynasty, the pipa is a four-stringed Chinese lute. Its name refers to the delicate sound created by the back and forth plucking motion: pi and pa.

Wu Man started playing the pup when she was just nine years old. By 13, she became the youngest student at the Central Conservatory of Music in China. Today, she is one of the world’s foremost players of the pipa, as well as a distinguished composer and passionate advocate of Chinese traditional music. The likes of the Silk Road Ensemble and the Aga Khan Master Musicians are amongst her frequent collaborators.

Known to cast a ‘quiet spell’ on her audiences (The New York Times), her captivating performance style earned her the title as the first player of a non-Western instrument to receive Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year award.

Supported by SIR EWAN AND LADY BROWN together with FLURE GROSSART.

This concert was curated in partnership with the AGA KHAN MUSIC PROGRAMME.