In this new series, you’ll get to know OBS’s principal musicians. In the style of a Q&A, you’ll learn about their musical journeys so far, highlights with OBS, what they like to do in their free time, and more.
Next, we have flautist Yu-Wei Hu.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your musical journey to date.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, I was raised in a music-loving environment. My parents weren’t musicians but my dad always had classical music on somewhere, and several aunties were absolute opera fans. I started learning piano from four years old, and then went on to the local music school and started flute with one of my dad’s cousins, who was the piccolo player in Taipei City Orchestra. I continued studying flute and piano, but it wasn’t until university that I discovered the real charm of Bach and became obsessed with his flute sonatas and other earlier music, although there was no early music at all in Taiwan. Studying baroque flute was one of the best things in my life: I fell totally in love with it and everything about the historical performance practice, the dance elements, the flexibility and rhetoric interpretation, and of course the sense of community and friendship in chamber music as well as in smaller-sized orchestras!
How long have you been performing with OBS and what has been a highlight?
I started playing with OBS in the 2014-15 season. The highlights were the Easter Oratorio in New College Chapel, the Bach Cantata album recording and the show combining dance and visual arts, directed by Peter Sellars at Park Lane Armory in New York!
What do you enjoy most about working with OBS?
I love OBS’s rhetoric-based approach and interpretation of Bach’s music. Together with the whole team, we try to understand the images and texts in depth behind every movement and try to bring out the magic Bach put into his music!
What do you like to do when you’re not performing?
I love dancing Argentine tango, baking and cooking!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention, talk about, plug, etc?
Besides OBS, I am very lucky to work with my husband and the theorbo player of OBS, Johan Löfving. As the founders of both the ensemble Flauguissimo and Wermland Early Music Festival in Sweden, we are passionate about performing, recording and teaching. We believe in passing on our love of early music and historical performance practices to the next generation!
