Chi Wu is the first Chinese winner of the Liszt International Piano Competition. He is a professor in the Piano Department of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, a Steinway Artist, and currently serves as Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Sichuan Piano Society. He has been invited as an artist and pedagogue at numerous international music festivals, including the Tanglewood International Music Festival in the United States, the Amalfi International Piano Festival in Italy, the Paris International Summer Piano Festival in France, and the New Zealand International Piano Festival.

Chi Wu began his piano studies at an early age under the renowned piano educator Professor Zhaoyi Dan, who laid a solid foundation for his lifelong piano performance career. Under Professor Dan’s meticulous guidance, Chi Wu won Second Prize at the 1994 Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany. He also received Third Prize at the 1994 First China International Piano Competition. In 1996, he won Third Prize (with Second Prize vacant) at the Fourth Liszt International Piano Competition, becoming the first Chinese laureate in the history of the competition. To date, only three Chinese pianists have received this honor: Chi Wu in 1996, Yundi Li in 1999, and Yingdi Sun in 2005.

Chi Wu studied at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and the Accademia Pianistica Incontri col Maestro di Imola in Italy. His teachers included Professors Hanguo Yang, Jan Wijn, Franco Scala, and the legendary pianist Lazar Berman, and he also received guidance from renowned pianists such as Cong Fu, Andrzej Jasinski, and Michel Dalberto. At the Imola International Piano Academy, known as the “cradle of pianists,” he studied under Professor Lazar Berman. His performance style was profoundly influenced by Berman, characterized by a pursuit of broad musical academic thought and genuine artistic integrity. Upon graduation, Chi Wu was awarded the highest honor in piano performance by the Imola International Piano Academy and remained at the academy as Professor Berman’s teaching assistant.

Chi Wu has given more than 700 concerts both domestically and internationally. He has performed in prestigious concert halls including the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, De Doelen Concert Hall in Rotterdam, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, and the Xiamen International Conference Center Concert Hall. His performances have taken place in nearly 30 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Hong Kong.

In 2023, Chi Wu launched a solo recital tour entitled 138 Years of Brilliant Virtuosity, commemorating the three great masters Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky, with performances in Italy, New Zealand, and major cities throughout China. In January 2024, he will present duo concerts and conduct masterclasses with British cellist Benjamin Hughes.

Chi Wu has collaborated with many world-class orchestras, including the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Chengdu Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Urumqi Symphony Orchestra. After returning to China, he taught at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and is currently a professor in the Piano Department of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. He is also frequently invited as a distinguished expert and masterclass professor at international music festivals and regularly serves as a juror for major piano competitions in China and abroad.