Actively devoted to promoting classical music to a wider audience,  Wanshu regularly performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and has appearance in renowed  orchestras and music festivals. ​

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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, where she studied under Susie Meszaros & Veit Hertenstein, finishing with honours in 1st class. She was then awarded full scholarship and bursaries from the Royal Academy of Music to continue her Master’s and Professional Diploma study 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.

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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.

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As an ensemble player, Wanshu has appeared in Nash Ensemble, Aurora Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Manchester Collective, the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic. She has led 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.

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As a passionate chamber musician, Wanshu is regular member of varies ensembles. She has performed in groups  alongside world renewed musicians such as James Ehnes, Jack Liebeck, Zakhar Bron, Aviv Quartet, to name but a few. Her ensembles are the award holders of Harold Craxton Prize(2022), and Royal Over-Seas League(2024) . As the Fellow of the Open Academy/Wigmore Hall Learning Programme, she appeared regularly on the Wigmore Hall stage with the Kyan Quartet.

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Beyond working in the field of classical music, Wanshu has participated in theatr, jazz  and multimedia projects. Some highlights include her performances in Manchester International Festival and Melbourne Arts Festival with Maxine Peake, London Jazz Festival with Alice Zawadzki, and a recent performance with VOCES8. Wanshu has worked in cross-media project collaborations with dancers and with producers around the world. These performances have allowed Wanshu to develop her skills as a well-rounded musician.

Her performances have been well received by audiences, and critics alike. 

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In addition to her performing career, she also volunteers her time with various community engagement programs that promote music education and enrichment. Since her undergraduate study, Wanshu is a strong believer of the important role music plays in the community and society. She has performed regularly in Hospices during her study. Her performance experience including Christmas Concert Series in 12 Care homes, I See You Project - music performances in ICU hospital, and  concerts with homelessness charity Streetwise Opera. She took placement in the charity organization- Music in Care Homes and Hospitals, volunteered for charity events such as So Many Beauties dementia friendly festival. She currently holds 2023/2024 Fellowship for Royal Academy of Music.

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Wanshu is grateful to be supported by Jargar Strings and Talent Unlimited. She's proud to play on the viola made by herself in 2024, under the guidance of  Stefan Peter Greiner