How one woman turned a 2,000-year-old Chinese lute into a global music sensation.

From Beijing to Broadway: Wu Man and the Pipa’s Global Journey

In a world where the guitar reigns supreme and the violin gets all the love, Wu Man cradles a four-stringed, pear-shaped instrument most Americans couldn’t name if their lives depended on it: the pipa (pípá 琵琶).

Under the stage lights, with her fingers flying faster than a hummingbird’s wings, she transforms an ancient Chinese lute into a time machine, whisking audiences across centuries and continents in a single performance.

On November 10th, Wu shared the stage with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Haikou, China, closing out their 2024 tour with a spellbinding performance of "Concerto for Pipa and Orchestra No. 2." This wasn’t just a concert—it was a milestone, marking 45 years of diplomatic ties between China and the U.S.

But Wu’s journey with the Philadelphia Orchestra didn’t start here. Ten months earlier, they brought the same magic to Philadelphia, nearly filling the Kimmel Center with 2,800 attendees. Wu, dubbed by the Los Angeles Times as “the artist most responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western world,” didn’t just play music that night. She built bridges.

“Back then, people didn’t even know what they were hearing,”

From China to Church Basements

Wu Man’s story begins in Hangzhou, China, where she became the first person to ever earn a master’s degree in pipa performance from Beijing’s prestigious Central Conservatory of Music.

But in 1990, she packed up her strings and moved to the U.S., where the pipa was about as popular as bagpipes at a rock concert. Her first gigs? Solo recitals in churches for elderly audiences, playing for anyone who would listen.

From church basements to street corners, Wu didn’t just perform—she introduced a country to an instrument they never knew they needed. By 1999, she was playing duets with Yo-Yo Ma at the White House. A few years later, she joined Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, a group dedicated to blending global music traditions into something entirely new.

the power of music—a window into worlds otherwise unseen.

Bringing the Pipa to the World Stage

Wu didn’t stop at cultural exchange; she rewrote the narrative. Her collaborations with boundary-pushing groups like the Kronos Quartet and her Grammy-winning work with the Silkroad Ensemble showed the world that the pipa isn’t just a relic, it's a way people can connect with Chinese culture.

In 2018, Bard College in New York created a degree program for Chinese instruments, a move that might not have happened without Wu’s decades-long advocacy. She’s turned a forgotten instrument into a symbol of cultural fusion, inspiring a new generation of musicians to pick up the pipa.

Take Henry, for example, a kid from Connecticut who saw Wu perform when he was eight. After years of lessons, he didn’t just master the pipa; he learned Chinese, traveled extensively in China, and dove headfirst into its culture. This, Wu says, is the power of music—a window into worlds otherwise unseen.

A Legacy Still in the Making

At home in China, Wu is now a professor at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, teaching students how to embrace their musical roots while connecting with a global audience. Her mission? To ensure that traditional Chinese music isn’t just preserved but celebrated on the world stage.

As Wu puts it, “Only by embracing our traditions and engaging with others can we better tell the stories of Chinese music to the world.”

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