Music
School of Music
Dr. Tze-Ying Wu is an Assistant Professor of Viola and String Education at the University of Kentucky and the director of the UK String Project. Before joining the University of Kentucky, she was the founding director of the Sturgis Music Academy (now ASO String Academy) of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Wu earned her Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees in viola performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying under Professor Atar Arad. She has also worked closely with Mimi Zweig and Dr. Brenda Brenner as a violin/viola instructor at Indiana University String Academy. Her undergraduate studies culminated in a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from National Taiwan Normal University.
Dr. Wu's performance experience includes playing with orchestras such as the Lexington Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. As a dedicated chamber musician, she performs extensively with her harp trio, the Formosa Trio. The trio recently premiered commissioned works by Zhou Tian and Hsieh Tsung Jen at the American Harp Society's 2023 Summer Institute at Colburn School and gave a recital at the National Taichung Theater in Taiwan. Their performances have also graced the stages of the 13th World Harp Congress in Hong Kong, the University of Illinois, Western Illinois University, Central Michigan University, Shanghai Concert Hall, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. Their album, "First Impression," was released in 2018.
In addition to her academic year commitments, Dr. Wu contributes her expertise during the summer as a faculty member at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts and the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. She is an active member of the American String Teachers Association and the American Viola Society, and she currently serves as the board president for the National String Project Consortium. In recognition of her contributions to music education, Dr. Wu was honored with the Outstanding Educator Award by the Kentucky Chapter of the American String Teachers Association in 2024.