Ms WU Dai-dai, Susie, was born in China, and raised in a musical family where she started cello lessons with her mother when she was seven. Susie enrolled into the Middle School Division of the Xi’an Conservatory of Music when she was eleven, and studied the cello with Professor Chiu Chun-chiu. In 2007, she entered the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore on a full scholarship, and joined Qin Li-wei’s cello studio. In 2011, Susie was again awarded a full scholarship to complete her Masters at the Royal Northern College of Music. Following her move to Singapore, she is now a cellist in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, as well as a guest Principal Cellist of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra. Since 2015, she has been appointed to the position of Teaching Assistant to world-renowned concert cellist, Mr Qin Li-wei, at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in the National University of Singapore.
As a soloist, Susie has given performances in China, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. She has worked with orchestras around the world and various respected conductors – the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, Xi’an Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra, Gennady-Rozhdestvensky, Neeme Jarvi and Eliahu Inbal amongst others.
In 2004, Susie won Third Prize at the China National Youth Cello Competition and in the following year, she was a finalist in the Golden Bell Award for Chinese Music, won Second Prize at the 21st Gisborne International Music Competition, First Prize at the Conservatory Concerto Competition and was also awarded the Royal Overseas-League Singapore Music Scholarship in 2009.
Susie regularly receives invitations and attends music festivals in various nations, she has attended the 6th Morningside Music Bridge in Canada, was invited to join the 1st Adelaide International Cello Festival in Australia, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the Styria Chamber Music Festival in Austria in 2010.
An avid chamber musician, Susie has been actively performing chamber music, working with musicians including Lang Lang, Steven Isserlis, Lynn Harrell, Vadim Repin, Renaud Capuçon, Lin Cho-Liang, Chang Han-Na, Alasdair Beatson, and Qian Zhou; she has played in many Masterclasses with Mischa Maisky, Wang Jian, Ralph Kirshbaum, Alexander Ivashkin, David Takeno, Gabor Takacs-Nagy and many others.
Susie is part of our team of passionate and dedicated music educators; tutoring classes in cello performance here at Melody Strings.