GU WEI
COMPOSER | PIANIST | EDUCATOR
"...warm of real splendour." - The Straits Times
"mesmerizing..." - New York Concert Review
ABOUT
Gu Wei (b. 1991) is a Singaporean composer whose music has been described as having ‘warmth of real splendour'. Having lived in China, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany, he draws his influences from a wide range of sources and is a composer demonstrating versatility in his style and idiom.
Gu Wei’s music has appeared on various occasions in Singapore and around the world, including performances and commissions by Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, Singapore Wind Symphony, Peabody Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonic Winds, ADDO Chamber Orchestra, AudioImage Wind Ensemble, Princeton Pianists Ensemble and musicians of the JACK Quartet. He has been awarded first prizes in WBAS Wind Band Composition Contest 2018, Macht Orchestral Composition Competition 2017, second prize in Prix d'Eté Competition 2016, and winner of the ‘Singapore Compose!’ Competition 2015. His music has also been featured in festivals such as the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt 2016, New Music On the Point Festival 2017 and Etchings Festival 2018.
Besides being a composer, Gu Wei is also a pianist who holds a Licentiate Diploma from Trinity College London. He is particularly interested in the toy piano recently, and has performed several times in Singapore and USA on the toy piano, focusing on contemporary repertoire written for it.
Gu Wei graduated from Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition. He also attained his Master’s degree in Composition and Music Theory Pedagogy at Peabody Conservatory, where he was also inducted as a member of the music honour society, Pi Kappa Lambda. He attained his Bachelor’s degree in Music at King’s College London, where he also received the Purcell Prize and Sambrooke Exhibition in Music Prize for academic excellence. His main composition teachers include Kevin Puts, Oscar Bettison, David Smooke, Rob Keeley and Zechariah Goh.
LISTEN
Gu Wei's Music
Gu Wei's Music
The Ocean's Cry: Wingless Guardians of the Sea
Hearing Stars - Beyond the Horizon (Black Hole) by Gu Wei
The sun is a star... (A Virtual Orchestra)
Madman's Diary, for Toy Piano
Click here for complete list of works
PRESS
Article: 【外籍客工诗歌 改编成声乐套曲】
张鹤杨
Lianhe Zaobao, 29 December 2023
Review: Choose Your Own Adventure ‘Xian’ By One Chamber Choir.
Vox Camerata, 19 October 2022
Article: Two Commissions for NUS Wind Symphony.
The Band Post, 19 March 2022
Article: "Taking the toy piano seriously"
Akshita Nanda
The Straits Times, 1 January 2019
Article: 【玩具钢琴与钢琴合奏 谱写童年回忆】
陈宇昕
Lianhe Zaobao, 29 December 2018
Review: "Huizi Zhang Presents Hreizleriana in Review"
Rorianne Schrade
New York Concert Review, 26 May 2018
Review: "A symphony tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew that he would have liked"
Dr. Chang Tou Liang
The Straits Times, 25 October 2015
Review: "Singapore A Musical Celebration IV: Made In Singapore – Singapore Wind Symphony, Adrian Tan"
Dr. Soo Kian Hing
The Flying Inkpot, 21 July 2015
Article: 【新加坡交响管乐团 尽显“东风”】
陈宇昕
Lianhe Zaobao, 31 March 2015
Review: "Scoring on musical potential"
Dr. Chang Tou Liang
The Straits Times, 15 February 2014