Pianist to make debut at BBC Proms with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

Chinese-American pianist Eric Lu will realize a dream when he makes his debut at the BBC Proms in London.

The 21-year-old from Boston in the United States will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which is also making its first appearance at the proms.

"It is a dream come true for me to play at the BBC Proms with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra," Lu said. "Ever since I decided to become a pianist, the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall has become one of those dream venues you hope to one day be able to play in."

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Yu Long and pianist Lu will perform on Sunday.

Lu said: "The Shanghai Symphony and Long Yu are a tremendous orchestra and conductor, as evident in their recent debut recording on Deutsche Grammophone, which I enjoyed immensely. This is my first time at the proms, and I am extremely excited to work with them on this momentous occasion."

Lu, who started playing piano at age 5, first caught international attention as a prize-winner at the 2015 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw when he was 17.

"I always look back with the greatest gratitude to my first piano teacher, Dorothy Shi, whom I studied with until the age of 13," Lu said. "As any young child discovering the vast world of great music out there, my passions were constantly evolving and changing, however I remember the very first composer I fell in love with was Mozart."

Among his accolades, the pianist picked up first prize at the 2017 International German Piano Award, a feat he also managed at the 2015 US National Chopin Competition.

Lu has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Taipei National Concert Hall, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and the Auditorio Nacional Madrid.

He says the highlight of his career so far has been winning the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018, which is widely regarded as one of the most coveted prizes in the musical world.

The classical pianist is studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and has a very busy touring schedule ahead.

As a young musician who is under the spotlight, he said he hasn't found a way of handling the pressure, other than "to always put the music first in everything you do" and "to continue working, living with, and striving to perform this great music the best you can".