He’s not in the school band, but sophomore Bowie Wu has made the most out of his bassoon talents and used it to achieve what few in the state, or even the world, could claim by winning a spot to perform in Carnegie Hall. 

Founded by the educational travel company WorldStrides, the Honor Performance Series allows student musicians across the country to distinguish themselves with a recorded audition of a series of short etudes and a full piece. Acceptance for the single-digit percentage of students who are selected means a trip to New York City and a performance at Carnegie Hall, where students are given three days to practice with some of the country’s best conductors as they prepare to perform their music. 

“I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the email notifying me that I was accepted into the program,” Wu said. “I don’t remember too much about the etudes or the essay we had to write about ourselves. Once I submitted my application, I was hopeful, but put it in the back of my mind.” 

Placing second chair out of three bassoons, Wu spent a week in February practicing with other students who were accepted before the big day. Between time spent touring around the bustling attractions of New York City and attending Broadway shows, Wu worked nonstop with director Kirt Mosier to complete the piece within the given time frame, both of which Bowie said provided interesting experiences. 

“The music had a cool story and was fun to play on stage,” Wu said. “We were able to complete it, thanks in part to our director who was always able to find the most interesting analogies during practice and pushed us to improve through detailed critiques of the mistakes we often made while playing.” 

On Feb. 5, Wu was finally on stage. Although he said Carnegie Hall was smaller than he thought it would be, it still felt like a surprise that he was performing in such a location. While performing, his mother, Mei Xu, was in the audience taking photos. 

“It was a ‘wow’ feeling watching him play in the prestigious Carnegie Hall,” Mei said. “It was practically a dream come true for me and his father. Ever since he started playing the bassoon, he has shown an immense talent for it and a passion to improve at every step of the way. He spent a year practicing for this audition, and now we all get to enjoy the fruits of his labor.” 

However, this is not Wu’s first big break. The sophomore, who has been playing the bassoon since sixth grade but quit playing in band once he reached high school, qualified for region band in middle school and  at TMEA Area band in his freshman year. This year, he went further and qualified for TMEA All-State.

“It’s a 50/50 mix on why I play the bassoon,” Wu said. “I like performing in front of other people and getting good feedback about my performance, but I also play to perfect the craft and improve my skills. I was raised a musical kid, as I used to play the piano beginning at the age of six, and both of these aspects have always just been part of the process, and part of what motivates me to continue playing.” 

Regarding his future, Wu said he has his sights set on colleges like Carnegie Mellon and intends to receive a double major in computer science and instrumental performance. In the meantime, he is preparing for more auditions, practicing to enter the National Youth Orchestra next year, a nationwide orchestra composed of musicians aged 16 to 19 which is directly organized by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

“Participation in competitions like these is a natural process for him to improve his techniques and musicality,” Mei said. “Of course, the most rewarding things are the enjoyment of his instrument and the opportunity to work with other talented and young musicians on the same ensemble.”

Outside of music, Wu also maintains a varied lists of activities and interests. Wu, who is ranked fifth in the sophomore class, is a member of Mu Alpha Theta and learns languages like Spanish and Japanese as a hobby in addition to being fluent in English and Mandarin. If he has time, he also likes to play tennis. Moreover, music is also a recreational activity of Wu’s, and he keeps a Youtube channel where he posts bassoon covers of music with genres ranging from classical to video games.

“I do have interests outside of music and outside of competitions, but I also think music supersedes them,” Wu said. “The bassoon definitely wasn’t my first choice. When I was auditioning for various instruments right before middle school, I wanted to play an instrument like the saxophone or trombone. I placed high when I played the bassoon, though, and so it was the instrument I went with when I began in sixth grade band. Ever since then, I’ve been grateful for all of the opportunities that the bassoon and music in general has given me, and experiences like playing at Carnegie Hall will stick with me forever as I continue to develop my playing.”