The keys to connection

For American pianist Eric Lu, returning to the music of Frederic Chopin is an ongoing journey, not an exercise in repeating familiar notes.

Having won first prize and the coveted gold medal at the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, Lu says his understanding of the Polish composer's music has continued to deepen over the years, shaped by experience, changing perspectives and his own life's emotional journeys.

"Being in the moment of this piece is very rewarding," says the pianist born in Massachusetts, the United States, in 1997, and a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. "It's fresh, based on the emotional journey. I feel the music, and it never grows old for me on stage."

Lu is among eight laureates of major international music competitions taking part in the inaugural WAPA International Youth Arts Festival, which opened in Beijing on Tuesday.

Organized by the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the World Association for Performing Arts, and supported by the World Federation of International Music Competitions, the event, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday, brings together emerging musicians from six countries across four continents, representing disciplines including piano, violin, viola, organ, oboe, and percussion.

The eight artists will give four concerts at the NCPA and Beijing Performing Arts Centre and take part in master classes, educational activities, free public performances and discussions.

For Lu, the gathering offers something particularly valuable in a profession that can often be isolating.

"It can be quite a lonely life, so any opportunity to have interactions and build friendships through a festival like this is always invaluable," he said in an interview at the NCPA in Beijing on Tuesday, adding that he is looking forward to meeting fellow musicians, conductors and orchestral players.

Fellow pianist Wu Yifan, 18, winner of the 65th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, also participating in the arts week, shares this sentiment.

"As a pianist, I often find myself spending a lot of time alone," Wu says. "The arts week gives me an opportunity to meet many friends and exchange ideas with them about music. These artistic interactions are also a great source of inspiration."