BIOGRAPHY

Wenbin Lyu (he/him) is a Chinese composer and guitarist based in Cincinnati. His compositions blend contemporary Western techniques with ancient Oriental culture, drawing inspiration from nature, science, and video games. His music is normally fast, loud, and rhythmic.

In the 2024 season, Eighth Blackbird will perform his Galactic Playground at the Barlow 40th Anniversary Concert. Upcoming commissions include pieces for the Sandbox Percussion and Akropolis Quintet.

Lyu has received fellowships from prestigious institutions and festivals, including the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Tanglewood Music Center, Blackbird Creative Lab, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ohio Arts Council, and China National Symphony Orchestra. His works have been featured at over 70 music festivals and conferences, such as the SCI, RED NOTE, NMG, Alba, MATA, ICMC, NYCEMF, EMM, MOXsonic, SPLICE, SEAMUS, and IRCAM. He has collaborated with acclaimed ensembles, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Beijing Symphony, Tianjin Symphony, Fifth House Ensemble, Akropolis Quintet, Sandbox Percussion, International Contemporary Ensemble, Capitol Quartet, Sinta Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Icarus Quartet, Society for New Music, Tacet(i), Hub New Music, Transient Canvas, Hypercube, and Eighth Blackbird. 

In recognition of his academic achievements, Lyu was awarded the China National Scholarship in 2016 and the Donald Martino Award for Excellence in Composition in 2020. He is also the recipient of an ASCAP Young Composer Award and five The American Prize awards. Additionally, two VR movies he composed premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2016. Lyu serves as a composer-in-residence at HAcappella, based at Harvard University since 2018. 

Lyu holds degrees from the China Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Cincinnati College-Conservatory. Currently, he serves as adjunct faculty at Northern Kentucky University, Earlham College, and CCM.

(updated: 11/15/2023)

    1. FAST (I simply don't have the patience to write slow music. Even my slow music is fast. Maybe I’ll change in 5-10 years.)

    2. LOUD (people told me if you make your music loud, you get more applause, and I love applause)

    3. RHYTHMIC (I don't know why, I might be influenced by all the pop divas!)

  • Wenbin Lyu is a Chinese composer based in Cincinnati. His compositions blend contemporary Western techniques with ancient Oriental culture, drawing inspiration from nature, science, and video games. His works have been featured at over 70 music festivals, such as Cabrillo, Tanglewood, NYCEMF, IRCAM, SEAMUS, and ICMC. He has collaborated with acclaimed ensembles, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Beijing Symphony, Eighth Blackbird, Akropolis Quintet, and Sandbox Percussion. Lyu has received one ASCAP Young Composer Award and five The American Prize awards. He holds degrees from the China Conservatory, NEC, and CCM.

  • 旅美青年作曲家、吉他演奏家吕文彬（博士）出生于中国东北。他毕业于中国音乐学院，新英格兰音乐学院及辛辛那提音乐学院。吕文彬的音乐语言融合了西方现代作曲技法与东方传统文化，并受到自然、科学以及现代文学等影响。

    吕文彬的作品曾在超过六十个音乐节上演出，包括美国坦格尔伍德音乐节、卡布里洛音乐节、SPLICE音乐节、IRCAM大会、纽约电子音乐节、国际计算机音乐大会、意大利阿尔巴音乐节以及国家大剧院青年作曲家计划等。他的作品也被多个著名乐团演奏，包括北京交响乐团、天津交响乐团、美国水牛城爱乐乐团、阿尔巴尼交响乐团以及卡布里洛假日乐团等。

    他优异的学术表现使他在2016年获得中国国家奖学金以及2020年的美国唐纳德·马蒂诺杰出作曲奖。他还曾获得过美国ASCAP青年作曲家奖、三项美国奖、辛辛那提音乐学院管弦作曲比赛一等奖、新英格兰荣誉作曲比赛一等奖、中央音乐学院民族音乐节作曲比赛二等奖、韩国釜山作曲比赛特别奖、美国查尔斯艾夫斯作曲比赛和2016-2017国家大剧院青年作曲家计划的荣誉提名等。2019年，他加入哈佛大学阿卡贝拉社团HAcappella并担任驻团作曲至今。2018年，他以优异成绩被选入中国国家交响乐团青年作曲家培养计划。2016年，由他配乐的两部电影展映于法国戛纳电影节。

  • NYXmusic (ASCAP)

    email [US]: wenbinlyumusic@gmail.com

    email [China]: wenbinlyumusic@qq.com

    phone: (617) - 331- 4755

    location: Cincinnati, OH 45219

    1. I'm a dog daddy and my buddy goes by the name Duke - he's super chill!

    2. Super obsessed with the sound of mouthpieces/reeds!

    3. Are you asking about my favorite instrument? Yes, it's the bass clarinet.

    4. Asian food only, thank you!

    5. Dedicated video game nerd with a collection of over 15 consoles, currently immersed in the world of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

    6. ChatGPT has been handling a lot of my work, and I can't help but wonder if it'll steal my job someday.

    7. I've always believed my drawing skills outweigh my musical talents by a mile.

    8. Stay tuned for more!