Cong Wu joined the New York Philharmonic as Assistant Principal Viola, The Norma and Lloyd Chazen Chair, in September 2018, while pursuing his doctoral degree at Manhattan School of Music. Winner of the Third Prize and the Chamber Music Prize in the Fourteenth Primrose International Viola Competition, and the Special Prize in the Twelfth Tertis International Viola Competition, he has performed throughout North America and Asia, including solo appearances with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Macau Youth Orchestra, and New York Classical Players.

An avid chamber musician, Mr. Wu has collaborated with Christoph Eschenbach, David Finckel, Itzhak Perlman, Philharmonic Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps, Peter Wiley, Pinchas Zukerman, and the American String Quartet. He has performed at various festivals, including Marlboro Music Festival, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Encounters, Music@Menlo, Perlman Music Program, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany.

Cong Wu was recently appointed as a guest faculty member of the National Arts Centre Summer Music Institute in Canada, and performed in the Music@Menlo Winter Residency. He also regularly appears with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and New York Classical Players.

Born in Jinan, China, Cong Wu moved to New York in 2010 after graduating from the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Wing Ho. He holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Heidi Castleman, Hsin-Yun Huang, Patinka Kopec, and Pinchas Zukerman.