Alexander Lu
Born in Seattle, Washington in 2000, seventeen-year-old Alexander Lu began piano studies at age five and has been a student of Sasha Starcevich for the past five years. He is in his final year of High School at the International Community School in Kirkland, Washington, USA.
Lu gave his debut concert at the age of eight performing the two-piano version of Mozart Concerto No. 24 and has since received top awards at the regional, national and international level. He was a Gold Medalist in the 2009 Seattle International Piano Competition, the Grand Prize winner of the inaugural “KING FM Ten Grands” Young Artist Awards competition in 2010 and again in 2016, and captured the first prize and Judges Distinction Award at the 2011 American Protégé International Competition.
In May of 2013, Lu made his orchestral debut with Philharmonia Northwest as a winner of the Seattle Young Artist Music Festival Concerto Competition, performing the Grieg Concerto in A minor. His debut with the Seattle Symphony followed only several months later after winning the Symphony’s Young Artist Audition Competition with a performance of the Mozart Concerto No. 21. In between the two concerto performances in the United States, Lu also performed with the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra from Israel during the “Music Fest Perugia” in Italy.
In 2014, he became one of the 30 young talents chosen from around the world to participate in the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Piano Competition. In 2015 Lu was one of the six semi-finalists of the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, and competed in the International e-Piano Junior Competition as one of the 25 contestants chosen worldwide.
In 2016, he became the first classical pianist awarded the Grand Prize in the ENKOR International Music Competition. In 2017, Lu was named a US National YoungArts Winner in Classical Music and was among only six pianists chosen from across the country to appear in the prestigious National YoungArts Week in Miami, Florida.
Lu was a featured artist in the “Ten Grands” Concerts in Seattle and Portland, and in the Seattle Chamber Music Festival’s “Emerging Artist Series”. He has appeared in performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Miami’s New World Symphony Center, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Hall, and Italy’s Basilica san Pietro.
From featured article on Seattle Times
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tiny-pianist-wins-big-competition/
…interpretation was so expressive, and his playing so accomplished for someone so young, that he wowed the judges of a KING-FM young artists competition open to students in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. His playing shone among 169 other top students in the area…
The judges were “unanimous — he was the one,” said Kathy Fahlman Dewalt, executive producer of the KING-FM “Ten Grands Young Artists” awards competition. “He has an unbelievable talent.”
“We were very impressed by his musicality,” said Bryan Lowe, the program director for Classical KING-FM. Among the judges, “his name was on everybody’s list.”
“It’s like DNA in some people, music is,” said R&B singer Bernadette Bascom, who has heard Alex play. “He’s not just taught, he has music in his spirit.”
From ENKOR competition judges
Amazingly talented pianist. Bravo!
A most exciting pianist – I look forward to hearing more.
Very impressive performances! The Grieg is exciting, poetic, and dramatic. Shchedrin Basso Ostinato is excellent. Great control throughout! Very exciting and mature playing. Bravo!
Impressive control of instrument and mature approach to music.
Excellent technique musicianship
Wonderful performance with great control, attention to detail, and depth of expression!
