David Finckel and Wu Han are among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. They are recipients of Musical America’s Musicians of the Year award, one of the highest honors granted by the music industry. The talent, energy, imagination, and dedication they bring to their multifaceted endeavors as concert performers, recording artists, educators, artistic administrators, and cultural entrepreneurs go unmatched. Their duo performances have garnered superlatives from the press, public, and presenters alike.
In high demand year after year among chamber music audiences worldwide, the duo has appeared each season at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States, Mexico, Canada, the Far East, and Europe to unanimous critical acclaim. In addition to his duo activities, David Finckel served as cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet for thirty-four years.
Highlights of their 2016-17 season include international and domestic tours and collaborations with a stellar lineup of artists and ensembles. This year they celebrate a ground-breaking Live from Lincoln Center broadcast; reunite with violinist Daniel Hope and violist Paul Neubauer for a series of nine concerts in Europe; make long-awaited recital debuts in St. Petersburg and Hong Kong; return to Seoul, South Korea for the sixth annual Chamber Music Today festival; lead a special patrons’ tour to St. Petersburg, Russia; continue the important work of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), and launch Music@Menlo’s Winter Series.
Aside from their distinction as world-class performers, David Finckel and Wu Han have established a reputation for their dynamic and innovative approach to the recording studio. In 1997, David Finckel and Wu Han launched ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, which has served as a model for numerous independent labels. All nineteen ArtistLed recordings, including Wu Han LIVE II, Wu Han’s most recent release in collaboration with the Music@Menlo LIVE label, have met with critical acclaim and are available via the company’s website at www.artistled.com. David Finckel and Wu Han have also overseen the establishment and design of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Studio Recordings label, as well as the Society’s recording partnership with Deutsche Grammophon; and Music@Menlo LIVE, which has been praised as a “the most ambitious recording project of any classical music festival in the world” (San Jose Mercury News).
Now in their third term as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David Finckel and Wu Han hold the longest tenure as directors since Charles Wadsworth, the founding Artistic Director. They are also the founders and Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley that has garnered international acclaim, soon to celebrate its fifteenth season. Additionally, David and Wu Han are Artistic Directors of Chamber Music Today, an annual festival held in Seoul, Korea.
David and Wu Han have achieved universal renown for their passionate commitment to nurturing the careers of countless young artists through a wide array of education initiatives. For many years, the duo taught alongside the late Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. Under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David Finckel and Wu Han launched the Chamber Music Encounters program in New York and direct the LG Chamber Music School, which serves dozens of young musicians in Korea annually. In 2013, David and Wu Han established a chamber music studio at the Aspen Music Festival and School. David Finckel serves as Professor of Cello at The Juilliard School, as well as Artist-in-Residence at Stony Brook University. David Finckel and Wu Han reside in New York.