Meet MinTze Wu | A violinist of many passions, a mother, a world citizen

We had the good fortune of connecting with MinTze Wu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MinTze, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
What shaped the eventual entity of BenFeng Music Productions really started in 2009, with the founding a weekend-long music festival in a town of 2000 people called Sounds of Lyons. My idea was to bring a fresh artistic vision to the cultural landscape of the front range, and looking beyond the possibilities of classical music as a form of performing arts. I wanted to create a “playspace” for musicians to create, experiment, explore, and evolve, as well as to invite audience to “walk into” music, and be touched by it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a classical musician trained in traditional system, the trajectory of career path is quite predictable. You either commit yourself to the grueling and competitive process of auditioning for an orchestra position, or complete the academic requirement to a PHD degree and acquire a teaching position, Both are within a well-designed, well-intended, and well-run system. Or there is the “others”, outside of the structure, the “self-employed” category, or I’d like to call “self-invented.” There have been several pivotal points in my life that led me to where I am (and I am still well in the middle of the journey), and each time it involves a simple question, “what is art to do with people of our time and place?” It had not been easy. To find the connection with the “people of our time and place” means taking yourself into the “field”, doing the hard and necessary work of tilting the soil and cultivating the audience to find the connection between themselves and the “art”. I think there is real distinction to make a career in art, and make art a career. I am of the latter. I have had harsh criticism from fellow classical musicians of “steering away from the purity of music making”, and for me that steering away is exactly when I see the full picture of how music can serve.

The branding of “BenFeng”, meaning “running with free spirit” in Chinese, is a way of life and and a way of making music. It is ever evolving, always exploring. It comes from an innate sense of curiosity for all layers of humanity, and it is explored and expressed with playfulness, thoughtfulness, and a dash of genius within all of us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live 6-miles outside of Carbondale, a charming town of 2000 sitting between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, with an incredible wealth of natural beauty. Basically you can head any direction and find a jaw-dropping spot. Here is a week-long itinerary:

Day 1-
Breakfast- Bonfire Coffee, iconic of downtown Carbondale bustlings and delicious coffee.
Hike- Pack lunch and go up Avalanche Creek Trail for a 5-mile hike.
Soak- Avalanche Hotsprings, the most luxurious kind of soak.
Scenic Drive- up the McCleur Pass.
Dinner- Marble BBQ

Day 2-
Breakfast-Village Smithy’s
Visit- Downtown Carbondale
Lunch- White House Pizza in Carbondale
Hike- Muschroom Rock for the areal view of Carbondale
Dinner- Tiny Pine Bistro in Carbondale

Day 3-
Breakfast- Granetta, a small wagon with the best coffee in town
Visit- Redstone, a historic town 12 miles outside of Carbondale
Lunch- Redstone General Store, a wonderful spot for homemade soup and ice cream
Activity- Fly fishing on Crystal Rivers
Dinner- Pho Thai in Carbondale
Activity- A show at Thunder River Theater

Day 4-
Breakfast- True Nature, a beautiful spot in town for great coffee and vegan options of pastry
Activity- Cycling along Rio Grande trail up to Aspen (about 3 hours)
Lunch- Let’s picnic in Aspen!
Activity- Visit galleries in Downtown Aspen, and ride the trail back to Basalt
Dinner- Heather’s homemade cuisine in Basalt, and ride RAFTA back to Carbondale

Day 5-
Hike up Mt. Sopris! (13 hours)
Dinner- Izakaya in Carbondale

Day 6-
Breakfast- The Painted Pigs
Soak- Iron Horse Hotsprings in Glenwood Springs
Lunch- Nepal Restaurant in Glenwood Springs
Shop- Downtown Glenwood Springs
Activity-A show at TACAW

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I may have three…

A shoutout to my mama, who took me on the bamboo seat strapped on the back of a bicycle when I was three, ignited my lifelong passion and exploration in music.

A shoutout to the book West with the Night by Beryl Markham, who inspired me with her fierce existence and fierce pursuit in life.

A shoutout to Amy Kimberly, whose vision made Carbondale not only a Creative District bustling with artistry and quirkiness, but a town fueled and sustained by creative spirit.

Email: mintzewu@benfeng.org

Image Credits
Jem Moore BenFeng Music Productions