Eric Lu
Pianist
Pianist
Biography
Winning first prize at the 19th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2025 was a dream come true for Eric Lu. The prestigious competition, which takes place only every five years, is considered one of the most important piano competitions in the world. In 2015, he had already secured fourth place – at the time as one of the youngest participants in the competition’s history.
In 2018, at the age of 20, he won first prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition and signed an exclusive contract with Warner Classics the following year. Since then, Eric Lu has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and been presented in major recital venues.
His recent and upcoming orchestral engagements include performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Taipei Symphony, Shanghai Symphony (at the BBC Proms), and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, among others.
He has worked with conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Ryan Bancroft, Edward Gardner, Marin Alsop, Sir Mark Elder, Thomas Dausgaard, Tabita Berglund, Tomas Netopil, Duncan Ward, Vasily Petrenko, Ruth Reinhardt, Kahchun Wong, Earl Lee, Nuno Coehlo, Martin Fröst, Joann Falletta, Daníel Bjarnason, and Eliahu Inbal.
A sought-after soloist and recital pianist, Eric Lu has performed in major concert halls around the world, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Wigmore Hall, Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, Cal Performances, Aspen Music Festival, BOZAR in Brussels, Flagey, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, 92Y in New York, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Victoria Hall in Singapore, at the “Chopin and His Europe” festival in Warsaw, at the Warsaw Philharmonic, and at Sala São Paulo.
His third album with Warner Classics, released in December 2022, features Schubert’s Sonatas D. 959 and D. 784 and has been acclaimed by critics worldwide. BBC Music Magazine selected it as its “Instrumental Choice” and wrote: “Lu’s place among today’s Schubertians is confirmed.” His previous album featuring Chopin’s 24 Préludes and Schumann’s Ghost Variations was described by International Piano Magazine as “truly magical.” His upcoming album featuring Schubert’s Impromptus will be released by Warner in January 2026.
Eric Lu was born in Massachusetts in 1997 and first gained international attention when he won the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2015 at the age of just 17. Other awards include the International German Piano Award (2017) and the Avery Fisher Career Grant (2021). From 2019 to 2022, he was a member of the BBC New Generation Artist Program. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Robert McDonald and Jonathan Biss, as well as with Dang Thai Son, and was mentored by Mitsuko Uchida and Imogen Cooper.
He currently lives in Berlin and Boston.
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