David & Wu Han

Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, honored as Musical America’s Musicians of the Year, stand among today’s most distinguished figures in classical music. Their multi-faceted musical lives encompass world-class performances, acclaimed recordings and visionary artistic direction. From the stages of New York to the premier concert halls across the United States, Europe and Asia, they have captivated audiences globally. Their repertoire spans the classical canon for cello and piano, includes commissioned works from contemporary composers, and covers virtually the entire chamber music literature for their instruments. As artistic directors for prominent arts organizations, they collaboratively curate more than 300 concerts each year.

In 1997, David Finckel and Wu Han founded ArtistLed, the first internet-based, artist-controlled classical recording label. With a catalog of over 20 releases, ArtistLed showcases both the standard cello and piano repertoire, and new works composed for the duo by George Tsontakis, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bruce Adolphe, Lera Auerbach, Edwin Finckel, Augusta Read Thomas, and Pierre Jalbert.

Since 2004, David Finckel and Wu Han have served as Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), the largest presenter and producer of chamber music in the world. As the longest-serving artistic directors in CMS’s history, they have expanded the organization’s reach, drawing more people to chamber music through its performances, education programs, and recording/broadcast activities than any other organization of its kind. In recent seasons, they conceived and produced over 270 digital events, sustaining chamber music communities across the country during the pandemic lockdown.

As founders and Artistic Directors of Silicon Valley’s Music@Menlo since 2002, David Finckel and Wu Han have established the festival as a model of innovative thematic programming and educational excellence, earning international acclaim. Music@Menlo’s exclusive recording label, Music@Menlo LIVE, has released over 130 audiophile-quality CDs to date.

Passionately dedicated to education for musicians of all ages and experience, the duo was instrumental in transforming the CMS Two Program into today’s Bowers Program, which admits exceptional young musicians to the CMS roster for a term of three seasons. They also lead the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, where each summer, around forty young musicians are immersed in the festival’s multi-faceted fabric of the festival. The duo had the privilege of serving as faculty members of the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Encounters in Israel, New York and Japan. Additionally, the Resource section of their website (davidfinckelandwuhan.com/resource) offers free, comprehensive guidance for students on studying music and building careers, as well as invaluable insights for arts organizations and individuals on all aspects of concert presenting.

Born in Taiwan, Wu Han came to the United States as a graduate student, where her exceptional talent quickly garnered the attention of noted musicians. She was mentored by legendary pianists Lilian Kallir, Menahem Pressler, and Rudolf Serkin, thriving at the Marlboro and Aspen Music Festivals before winning the prestigious Andrew Wolf Award. Wu Han currently serves as Artistic Advisor for Wolf Trap’s Chamber Music at the Barns series and for Palm Beach’s Society of the Four Arts, and in 2022, she was appointed Artistic Director of La Musica in Sarasota, Florida.

David Finckel was raised in New Jersey, where he spent his teenage years winning numerous competitions, among them the Philadelphia Orchestra’s junior and senior divisions, leading to two performances with the orchestra. The first American student of Mstislav Rostropovich, he later became the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, where his 34-season tenure earned the ensemble nine Grammy Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize. David Finckel is also a professor and chamber music at both The Juilliard School and Stony Brook University.

David Finckel and Wu Han married in 1985 and divide their time between touring and residences in New York City and Westchester County.