The Jacksonville Symphony has announced the hiring of violinist Kaiyuan Wu as a Section Violinist for the 2025/26 concert season. Wu was selected following a rigorous audition process and is set to join the orchestra in September 2025.
Kaiyuan Wu, born in Shanghai, China in 1998, began studying violin at age four. He received his foundational training at the Elementary School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music under Professor Lei Fang. Wu holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Wei He, Ian Swensen, and Chen Zhao. He further pursued an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, studying with Paul Kantor and Barry Shiffman. Most recently, while earning a Graduate Certificate at USC Thornton School of Music, he studied with Bing Wang, Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, during which time he secured his position with the Jacksonville Symphony.
Throughout his career, Wu has been recognized for his exceptional talent, winning First Prize at the 2017 San Francisco Conservatory of Music Violin Concerto Competition and Second Prize at the Diablo Symphony Orchestra Yen Liang Young Artist Competition. He has also excelled in chamber music, earning the National First Prize at the 2019 MTNA Chamber Music Competition and the Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award in 2020. Wu’s chamber music engagements include performances at the 10th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and the Gianni Bergamo International Chamber Music Competition in Lugano, Switzerland.
He has participated in the 2022 Leonidas Kavakos International Violin Masterclass in Athens, Greece, and collaborated with illustrious violinists such as Glenn Dicterow, James Ehnes, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Ida Kavafian, Maxim Vengerov, and Ray Chen. Wu has also held leadership roles as a section leader during his studies and performed at prestigious festivals, including Orford Musique and the Moritzburg Festival. His recent performances as a member of the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra have taken place in renowned concert venues in Germany like the Kulturpalast Dresden and the König Albert Theatre in Bad Elster.
Wu currently plays a violin crafted in 2016 by luthier Robert Brewer Young.
For more details on the Jacksonville Symphony’s 75th Anniversary Season and to view the full roster of musicians, please visit JaxSymphony.org.
Media Contact:
Savannah Silliman
Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Jacksonville Symphony
ssilliman@jaxsymphony.com
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
