Grammy-Nominated Performer and Carlsbad Resident Wu Man Performing at Library

Grammy nominee, the first artist from China to perform at the White House and a principal member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project are some of Carlsbad resident Wu Man’s accomplishments. She will perform a free concert at Carlsbad City Library’s Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium on Sunday, April 21 from 2-3 p.m. as part of Carlsbad Reads Together, a community reading program taking place throughout April.

“We moved to Carlsbad nine years ago from Boston,” Wu Man shared recently. “The Carlsbad Library is on my family's ‘best place to go to on weekends’ list.  I can't wait to share my music with my Carlsbad neighbors. My instrument Pipa – a 2000-year-old Chinese ancient plucking instrument – is related to the western Lute, guitar, the middle Eastern Ud and the Indian Sitar.  I hope through my music, audiences would join me to take a journey to experience ancient Chinese culture and modern sound.”

In the orchestral world, Wu Man has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and at major music halls including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. When NPR hosted her in 2011, they raved, “When her fingers start to fly, Wu Man can create scenes of cinematic grandeur or serene, moonlit moments.” Watch the video of her in-studio NPR performance here.

Free tickets for the April 21 concert will be distributed beginning at 1 p.m. at the library’s auditorium. The concert is made possible by the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation’s Robert H. Gartner Cultural Endowment Fund.

Carlsbad Reads Together is a community reading program featuring "Shanghai Girls" by New York Times bestselling author Lisa See. Other events include films, book discussions and family events. For more information about the concert or other Carlsbad Reads Together events, call 760-602-2012.