Eric Lu, Piano

“Leeds winner Eric Lu showed an astonishing command of keyboard tone and color.. the sign he is already a true artist. It was a spellbinding experience.”
The Guardian

“Lu’s playing is in a rare class - sensitive and emotionally intuitive.”
BBC Music Magazine

Eric Lu won First Prize at The Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 at the age of 20. The following year, he signed an exclusive contract with Warner Classics, and was a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2021. Since winning Leeds, Eric Lu has embarked on a world class career, appearing with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and recital venues.

Eric Lu’s 22-23 season includes subscription debuts with the London Symphony, and Boston Symphony Orchestras. He will also give recitals at the Cologne Philharmonie, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and return to the Elbphilharmonie, Wigmore Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.

Recent seasons highlights include performing with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and appearing at the BBC Proms with the Shanghai Symphony. Eric Lu has worked with the Oslo Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, The Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, and on tour with the Orchestre National de Lille. He has worked with conductors Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Ryan Bancroft, Vasily Petrenko, Edward Gardner, Sir Mark Elder, Thomas Dausgaard, Ruth Reinhardt, Martin Frӧst, and Long Yu.

Eric has appeared in recital at Amsterdam Concertgebouw, BOZAR Brussels, 92nd St Y NY, Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, Cal Performances Berkeley, St. Petersburg Philharmonia, and Sala São Paulo. He regularly returns to give recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.

In 2020, Warner Classics released Eric’s first studio album, featuring the Chopin 24 Preludes, and Schumann’s Geistervariationen. It was met with critical acclaim, including one of BBC Music Magazine’s ‘Instrumental Records of the Year’.  In 2018, Eric’s winning performances of Beethoven and Chopin from The Leeds with The Hallé and Edward Gardner was released by Warner. Eric looks forward to the release of Schubert’s Sonatas D.959 and 784 in January 2023.

Born in Massachusetts in 1997, Eric Lu first came to international attention as a Laureate of the 2015 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw aged just 17. He was also awarded the International German Piano Award in 2017. Eric is a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019-22. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Robert McDonald and Jonathan Biss. He was also a pupil of Dang Thai Son, and has been mentored by Mitsuko Uchida and Imogen Cooper. He is now based in Berlin and Boston.

Eric Lu
Represented by YH Artists in the following territories: 
Asia (excluding Japan and Korea)
Artist Facebook: 
Photo Gallery:

Reviews

[Lu] played with a maturity beyond his 24 years. The opening Allegro went with poise and grace, with Muti and his young soloist remaining sensitively attuned to the score’s passing darker hues. Lu captured the fragile poetry of the Larghetto’s unassuming theme

Chicago Classical Review, 2022

An exceptional recital reveals why the young pianist, who won the 2018 Leeds piano competition, is one of the most exciting prospects in a long time.

The Guardian, 2018

...it's hard to imagine a more touching and tenderly ruminating performance than the one heard on this occasion.

International Piano Magazine, 2017

Recordings

CD Cover - Eric Lu and the Hallé Orchestra
Eric Lu - CD Late Works, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms
Eric Lu - CD Chopin Piano Competition 2015