Young pianist Eric Lu will open the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s 2014-2015 Piano Series on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The UAB Piano Series is presented by the Department of Music, part of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. The series brings the world’s finest pianists to Birmingham.
On the program for Lu’s 4 p.m. concert is Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat major, K. 333; Schubert’s Impromptu in G-flat major, Op. 90 No. 3; and Chopin’s Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 42, Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52, and 24 Preludes, Op. 28. It will take place in UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $15; $5 for UAB students. Call 205-975-2787 for tickets. Visit the UAB Department of Music online at www.uab.edu/cas/music.
At just 16 years old, Lu has already established himself as one of the finest pianists of his generation. In 2013, he was admitted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lu has performed in top venues around the world and received top prizes at major international competitions, including most recently first prize at the ninth Moscow International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, in August.
| The UAB Piano Series is presented by the Department of Music, part of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. The series brings the world’s finest pianists to Birmingham. |
In 2013, Lu triumphed at the Minnesota International e-Piano Junior Competition, receiving the first prize and the special Schubert Prize. The competition consisted of four rounds, and concluded with a final round performance with the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2010, Lu won the top prize of the prestigious 12th Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany, where he was praised for a musical understanding far beyond his years. Other awards include first prize at the 2013 A. Ramon Rivera Piano Competition, the special prize chosen by the public at the 2011 Junior Academy Eppan in Italy, and second prize at the 2009-2010 Music Teachers National Association National Piano Competition.
Lu began studying the piano at the age of 6 with Dorothy Shi. While at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, he studied piano with Alexander Korsantia and A. Ramon Rivera. Lu now studies at Curtis with Jonathan Biss, and he is also a student of the renowned pianist Dang Thai Son. Lu is a great admirer of the Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, whom he considers to be among the greatest pianists of all time.
Pianists of the highest caliber are in the works for coming performances Jan. 25 and March 21, 2015. Look for an announcement on those performances soon, says UAB Professor of Piano Yakov Kasman, DMA.