bio

Born in China, Deqi Mu is a percussionist whose work focuses on solo performance, chamber music, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is particularly interested in contemporary music and collaborative performance across different artistic settings.

Mu began studying music at the age of six, first through drum set before transitioning into classical percussion. As a child, she was featured in China’s Little Rock Star, a documentary produced by Al Jazeera’s Viewfinder series documenting her early musical journey. Through her early experiences as a young performer, she developed a strong interest in exploring different musical environments and forms of expression. In 2019, she moved to the United States to attend Interlochen Arts Academy before continuing her studies at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently pursuing a degree in Percussion Performance.

Her recent work includes participation in the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Anton Bruckner University Summer Academy, and the Mozarteum Summer Academy. In 2026, she participated in the Aranya Theatre Festival as part of the Migratory Birds 300 program and took part in the staged reading project 37.2°C, further expanding her experience in performance beyond traditional concert settings.

Alongside her solo work, Mu regularly collaborates with musicians and artists from different backgrounds. She values the exchange of ideas that occurs through rehearsal and performance, and she is interested in how collaboration can shape the interpretation of a work. Her current artistic interests include projects that connect percussion with theater and other forms of artistic practice.

Through her performance and collaborative work, Mu continues to explore new contexts for percussion and its role within contemporary performance.