Wei Yu

Wei Yu was appointed Principal Cello of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2014 by then Music Director Leonard Slatkin. He made his subscription debut performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in November 2015 and has since appeared as soloist almost every season. Before joining the DSO, Wei Yu was a member of the New York Philharmonic for seven seasons.

Yu was a prizewinner at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String, Holland American Music Society Cello, Music Teacher National Association (MTNA National Collegiate Strings), Canada’s National Music Festival, Calgary’s Kiwanis Festival and China’s National Cello competitions.

An avid chamber musician, Wei Yu has been invited to the Marlboro, Ravinia, Great Lakes and Mainly Mozart music festivals, and has recently collaborated with musicians such as cellist Carter Brey, David Soyer, pianists Richard Goode and Menahem Pressler, violinists Augustin Hadelich, Midori and Pinchas Zukerman, members of the Guarneri, Emerson and Juilliard Quartets. As a member of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles, he made regular appearances at Merkin Concert Hall.

Yu currently serves on faculty of Northwestern University Bienen School Of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has given cello masterclasses at universities and festivals in the United States, Canada and China. During the summer Yu teaches at the Meadowmount School of Music and the Morningside Music Bridge International Music Festival at the New England Conservatory. He also regularly serves on faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA).

Born in Shanghai, China, Wei Yu began studying the cello at age 4 and made his concerto debut at age 11, performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He received his B.M. from North Park University in Chicago and M.M. from the Juilliard School. His principal teachers include Mei-Juan Liu, John Kadz, Hans Jørgen Jensen, and David Soyer. He performs on the 1720 “Bedetti” David Tecchler cello, on generous loan from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. 

During his first season with the DSO, the Detroit Free Press has praised his performances:

“Nearly all of the soloists made strong impressions, but special mention must go to new principal cellist Wei Yu… The grace, poise, liquid legato and purity of tone and pitch that Yu produced in these few moments were stunning in their authority and beauty — a very good sign for the future of the orchestra.”  – January 17, 2015

“New DSO principal cellist Wei Yu made his first solo appearance with the band, playing Dvorak’s beloved Cello Concerto with a sweeping sense of drama and a deeply burnished sound that projected easily over the ensemble. Yu… locked into a powerful flow; his moments of hushed lyricism were especially poetic. Yu’s arrival has already had an audible impact in enriching the sound and unanimity of the string section, but Friday’s performance showed how much personality he also brings to the table as a soloist.”   – November 21, 2015

– Classical Music Critic Mark Stryker