Yao-Yu Wu, conductor

Nathalie Peña-Comas, soprano

National Symphony Orchestra

conductor／Yao-Yu Wu

“Wu delivered the most brilliant performance of the final; his refined and elegantly crafted gestures galvanized the orchestra in an electrifying and dance-like Firebird. If the philosophy of the competition is to reward innate musical nature, then the choice is indisputable — Wu’s potential is immense.” — Le Figaro

Born in 1989, Taipei, he received training in hometown and subsequently in Vienna, Yao-Yu Wu has emerged as one of the most compelling young conductors of his generation. He is known for performances distinguished by structural clarity, a highly refined gestural language, and a vivid theatrical sensibility that shapes both symphonic and operatic repertoire.

At twenty-four, Wu won the First Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize at the Besançon International Conducting Competition, becoming at that time the youngest triple-laureate in the competition’s history. His international profile expanded further when he received the Second Prize, Audience Prize, and Prize for Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work at the 2023 Hong Kong International Conducting Competition.

Wu currently serves as Resident Conductor and primary artistic leader of the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, where he has elevated the ensemble through rigorous rehearsal discipline, insightfully crafted programming, and interdisciplinary artistic initiatives. His previous posts include Associate Conductor of the Taiwan Philharmonic and Music Director of the Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

His guest appearances span major orchestras in Europe and Asia, including the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orchestre National de Lorraine, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Taiwan Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with distinguished soloists such as Lang Lang, Nemanja Radulović, Daniel Müller-Schott, Ilya Gringolts, Makoto Ozone, and Alexei Volodin.

Equally active in opera and cross-genre work, Wu has led acclaimed productions of Tosca and Rigoletto, and is officially certified by Warner Bros. as a conductor for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. His recording “Silvergrass,” released by New World Records, has been praised for its nuanced command of contemporary idioms.

He will tour Japan with the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra in 2026, including performances at Tokyo Opera City.

soprano／Nathalie Peña-Comas

Latin Grammy-Nominee rising star soprano and actress Nathalie Peña-Comas was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She has made appearances in Austria, Belarus, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United States, and the Vatican City. She performed several operatic roles in Europe and the Dominican Republic including Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Lucia in the tango opera Mateo, Queen of trolls in The two Fiddlers, Gabi in Agleia Federweiss, Musetta in La Bohème, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Micaëla in Carmen, Violetta in La Traviata and most recent Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She made her acting debut at the Los Angeles Theater Center in the role of Nightingale in the world premiere of the theater play Ghost Waltz.

Nathalie has sung at Emilia Romagna Festival, Montecatini Opera Festival and Taranto Opera Festival (Italy), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival), Vienna Opera Summer in Belvedere, Sommerfestival Kittsee (Burgenland), and IMAGO Sloveniae International Festival (Slovenia); in venues such as prestigious Golden Hall of Musikverein and the Konzerthaus Vienna; Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome; the Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore (Vatican City); the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia); Gran Teatro Nacional (Peru); Palacio de Bellas Artes and Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito in the Dominican Republic. She has performed with the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Concert – Verein Orchestra, the Strauss Festival Orchestra, the State the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Belarus, Philharmonic Orchestra of Târgu Mures, National Symphony Orchestras of Peru and the Dominican Republic; a. o. with Maestros Eugene Kohn, Valery Polyansky, Ernst Kovacic, Joji Hattori, Ola Rudner, Ferenc Gábor, Harald Krumpöck, Francisco Navarro Lara, José Antonio Molina and many others, and alongside Gregory Kunde, KS Ramón Vargas, Stephen Costello, Morris Robinson, Tuomas Katajala, Andrea Bocelli and pop artists Johnny Ventura, Danny Rivera, Plácido Domingo Jr., and many others. With the Ensemble Spirituosi, a musical sextet dedicated to academic and folk music of Latin America, Nathalie has toured through Austria, Dominican Rep., England, Italy, and Spain. Spirituosi’s first Album Souvenir Latino won 3 Golden Medals at Global Music Awards in Los Angeles and has been in the play-list of BBC 3 Radio in London. Ensemble Spirituosi was also awarded the Soberano Prize in Best Classical Concert of 2015 (Dom. Rep.).

She won the 1st Prize at the Ebe Stignani International Opera Competition 2022, the 2nd Prize at the Montecatini Opera Festival Singing Competition 2022, and has been awarded several prizes for “Classical Singer of the Year” at Soberano Awards (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 - Dom. Rep.). She was also finalist at the 14th Osaka International Music Competition (2013) and won the special prize for the “Most Promising Soprano” and for the ''Best Interpretation of a Polish Composition'' at the 14th Ada Sari International Competition of Vocal Art (2011).

She graduated from University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the guidance of Helena Lazarska and Annamaria Rott (voice) and Manfred Wagner-Artzt (piano), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice and Piano Pedagogy. She attended Masterclasses with: Gregory Kunde, Mariella Devia, Michael Recchiuti, and Kamal Khan. Since 2018, she works with renowned Romanian Maestra Irina Gavrilovici.

Since 2019, Nathalie serves as Cultural Ambassador for the Dominican Republic.