Cellist Zhihao Wu began his studies at age four and made his concerto debut at the age of nine with the Shanghai Youth Symphony Orchestra performing Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major. He went to elementary and middle music schools affiliated with Shanghai Conservatory of Music and got his Bachelor degree as a student of Julie Albers and Hans Jorgen Jensen at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. He continued his studies with Jensen and earned his Master of Music degree at Northwestern University. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in the studio of Colin Carr at Stony Brook University in New York, while also studying chamber music with the Emerson Quartet in ESQI program.

Wu has been guided by several distinguished cellists, including Laurence Lesser, Timothy Eddy, Desmond Hoebig and Andres Diaz, and has performed in master classes for Lynn Harrell, Frans Helmerson, Jian Wang, Paul Katz and Tamas Varga. At the Meadowmount School of Music, Mr. Wu was Hans Jorgen Jensen's teaching assistant for three years.

Wu has been a top prize winner in a number of competitions including first prize at the 2023 Leos Janacek international Competition, the 2022 Concerto Competition at Stony Brook University, and the 2020 Thaviu String Competition. In his native China before coming to the United States, Mr. Wu was a top prize winner of the 2013 Shanghai Chamber Music Competition for String Quartet, the 2008 and 2010 China National Professional Cello Competition, and the Excellence China’s Work Award at the 2008 China National Professional Cello competition. As a young cellist,  Wu won first prize at the 2006 “Antonio Janigro” Competition in Croatia.

Wu is the recipient of scholarships from Virtu Foundation, McDuffie Center for Strings, Bentley T. Handwork Scholarship Foundation, Tang-Junyuan Education Foundation, Fu-Chengxian Foundation, Shanghai Art Talents Foundation, Shanghai “Star Plan," Stuart Holland Memorial Award, and Kates Fellowship Award. Professor Meijuan Liu was his first teacher in Shanghai. He plays on a cello made by David Caron, which was generously provided by the Virtu Foundation.