Wanshu Qiu grew up in Chengdu, China, and began to play the viola at the age of 15. She gained her undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music with Susie Meszaros and Veit Hertenstein, She was then awarded full scholarship and bursaries from the Royal Academy of Music to continue her Master’s and Professional Diploma with Jon Thorne. She has been awarded Barbirolli  Evelyn Rothwell Prize for outstanding studentship, and was greatly supported by the British Council and Art Association of China for her study.

Wanshu has been invited to renowned festivals such as Encuentro de Música Santander, IMS Prussia Cove- OCM,  Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, and Bowdoin Festival, where she served as a Viola Fellow. As a soloist, she has performed with  Manson Ensemble, Carme Ensemble, and London Contemporary Soloists.

As an ensemble player, Wanshu has appeared in Nash Ensemble, Aurora Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Manchester Collective, the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic. She has led the viola section under some world-class conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Semyon Bychkov, Elim Chan, Jamie Martin, and Ludovic Morlot.  In recognition of her achievements, she's been interviewed by BBC Radio 3 in 2021 and UKVI in 2022 to share her musical inspiration.

Beyond working in the fields of classical music, Wanshu also participated in theatre, jazz, and multimedia projects. Some highlights Include her performances in Manchester International Festival and Melbourne Arts Festival, London Jazz Festival, and recent performance with VOCES8. Wanshu has also worked in cross-media project collaboration with dancers, producers around the world.

In addition to her performing career, she also volunteers her time with various community outreach programs that promote music education and enrichment. She’s currently holding the 2023/2024 Fellowship for Royal Academy of Music.

Wanshu plays on a viola made by Peter Greiner & Mark Jenning, kindly loaned by IMS Prussia Cove.