Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent, energy, imagination and dedication they bring to their multi-faceted endeavors as concert performers, recording artists, educators, artistic administrators and cultural entrepreneurs, go unmatched. Their duo performances take them to some of the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States, including San Francisco Performances, Stanford Lively Arts, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Morgan Library & Museum, Town Hall, and 92nd Street Y, Washington’s Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institute, and Dumbarton Oaks, Wisconsin’s Union Theater, Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater, UCLA’s Performing Arts Series, the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall, Princeton University Concerts, the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, New Orleans Friends of Chamber Music, Santa Barbara’s UCSB Arts and Letters, and Aspen’s Harris Concert Hall.
The duo's international engagements have taken them to Mexico, Canada, the Far East, Scandinavia and continental Europe to unanimous critical acclaim. Highlights from recent seasons include their debuts in Germany and at Finland's Kuhmo Festival, their presentation of the complete Beethoven cycle in Tokyo, and their signature all-Russian program at London’s Wigmore Hall.
David Finckel and Wu Han’s wide-ranging musical activities also include the launch of ArtistLed, the first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, which is celebrating its tenth year. All nine ArtistLed recordings have received critical acclaim and are available via the company's website at www.artistled.com. The duo's "Russian Classics" recording, featuring works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, received /BBC Music /magazine's coveted "Editor's Choice" award. The two most recent additions to the ArtistLed catalogue feature the cello sonatas of Johannes Brahms and David Finckel's recording of the Dvorák Concerto and Augusta Read Thomas's /Ritual Incantations/ (world premiere recording). The upcoming "Russian Recital" album will feature works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Scriabin and mark Wu Han's first full-length solo recording for the label.
David Finckel and Wu Han have served as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2004. They are also the founders and Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in Silicon Valley that has garnered international acclaim since its inception in 2003. Prior to launching Music@Menlo, Wu Han and David Finckel served for three seasons as Artistic Directors of SummerFest La Jolla.
For many years, David Finckel and Wu Han taught alongside the late Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. They appeared annually on the Aspen Music Festival's Distinguished Artist Master Class series, and in various educational outreach programs across the country. David Finckel and Wu Han reside in New York with their thirteen-year-old daughter Lilian.
"America's power couple of chamber music." --The Wall St. Journal
“Mr. Finckel and Wu Han gave eloquent and deeply committed performances. He played with a deep and burnished tone and she with a sparkling virtuosity. --The New York Times
“When a pair of genuine artists explodes on the stage, exuding not only glamour and theatrical flair but also superb musical insight, the audience’s thrill is twofold. --Chicago Sun-Times
“Inspired….Finckel makes his instrument sing with a natural eloquence, at once muscular and supple. Han, for her part, dispatches musical material without flinching and without losing emotional mooring. --Los Angeles Times
"It was a performance in which lyricism and virtuosity shared equal roles, but what made it particularly memorable was the degree of exquisitely intimate ensemble achieved by Finckel and pianist Wu Han, with spontaneity, vigor and seamless melody." --The Washington Post
“Finckel, the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, is a superb player with his own instantly recognizable style. His technique is impeccable, his tone warm, rich, variable, and pure; his playing has great warmth and expressiveness coupled with a noble, aristocratic restraint. --Strings
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