Wanshu Qiu is most at home when making music with other people. Chamber music has shaped much of her musical life, from string quartets and festival collaborations to more unexpected projects across different genres and disciplines. She is particularly drawn to the part of music-making that cannot be completely planned: listening, reacting in the moment, and finding a shared musical language with the people around her.

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Wanshu’s performance career has taken her to many corners of the world. She was part of festivals such as Lucerne, IMS Prussia Cove, Encuentro de Música Santander, Bowdoin International, and most recently, as a Rising Star of the Edinburgh International Festival. As a soloist she has appeared with ensembles including the Manson Ensemble, Carme Ensemble, and London Contemporary Soloists. Her orchestral experience spans the Aurora Orchestra, Manchester Collective, the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Nash Ensemble, and Ulster Orchestra, leading viola section under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Semyon Bychkov, and Elim Chan. In recognition of her artistry, she was featured on BBC Radio 3 and interviewed by UKVI about her musical journey.

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She is a member of the Kyan Quartet,  extensively performed across the UK and internationally. The quartet are artists of the City Music Foundation and prize-winners of the Royal Over-Seas League, they've taken part in residencies and programmes including the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme. Her ensemble Hiraeth Trio are prize winners of the Harold Craxton Prize. Wanshu has collaborated with artists such as James Ehnes, Nicola Benedetti, Zakhar Bron, and she continues to explore the rich possibilities of chamber music across traditions and genres.

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Her versatility extends beyond the traditional classical concert format. Wanshu has collaborated across theatre, jazz and multimedia performance, with appearances at Manchester International Festival, Melbourne Arts Festival and London Jazz Festival, as well as projects with VOCES8, composers, dancers and other interdisciplinary artists.

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Alongside performing, Wanshu has maintained a longstanding interest in the role music can play outside the concert hall. Her work has included performances in hospices and intensive care settings, dementia-friendly projects and collaborations with Streetwise Opera. From 2022–2024 she held a Fellowship with the Royal Academy of Music’s Learning Programme in partnership with Wigmore Hall.

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Born in Chengdu, China, Wanshu discovered the viola at the age of fifteen and soon found it to be her artistic voice. Her studies took her to the Royal Northern College of Music, where she graduated with First-Class Honours under the guidance of Susie Meszaros & Veit Hertenstein, before continuing at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Jon Thorne. Supported by full scholarships and bursaries, she completed both her Master’s degree and Professional Diploma, earning the Barbirolli Evelyn Rothwell Prize for outstanding studentship.

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Wanshu is grateful to be supported by Jargar Strings and Talent Unlimited. She's proud to play on a viola made by herself in 2024, under the guidance of  Stefan Peter Greiner

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