Tianyi Lu

Tianyi Lu (born 1989/1990) is a Chinese-born New Zealand conductor based in Europe.

Tianyi Lu
Born	1989 or 1990 (age 34–35)[1] Shanghai, China
Genres	Classical
Occupation	Conductor

Early life and education

Born in Shanghai, China, Lu emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand with her parents when she was five.^[2] She studied the piano and flute and sang in various choirs throughout her youth.^[3] During her principal studies in flute and composition at the University of Auckland,^[1] she also began studying conducting with Karen Grylls and Uwe Grodd, as well as with Eckehard Stier, the then music director of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.^[2] She graduated from the University of Auckland with First Class Honours^[4][5] and was granted various awards and scholarships to study a Master of Music in Conducting with John Hopkins at the University of Melbourne, Australia.^[3]

In 2012 and 2013, Lu was an active participant in the Symphony Services International Conducting Training Programme,^[6] which saw her take masterclasses with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra with teachers such as Christopher Seaman and Marko Letonja.^[7]

In 2015, Lu completed a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting with Distinction with David Jones at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.^[8] She also attended several masterclasses in Europe.^[9][6][10]

Career

Positions

Tianyi Lu became the Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia in Wales in 2014.^[5]

Lu was also a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 2017/2018 season.^[11][12]

Throughout 2017 to 2019, Lu was the Assistant Conductor for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.^[7][13]

In 2019, Lu became the first Female Conductor in Residence for the Welsh National Opera.^[14][15]

In 2021, Lu was also announced as the Conductor in Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.^[10]

Lu was appointed as a board member of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2023.^[16][17]

Guest conducting

Orchestras Tianyi Lu has guest-conducted include the Hallé Orchestra, Romanian Radio National Orchestra,^[15] the Madrid Symphony,^[18] Gulbenkian Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra as well as the Turku Philharmonic, and Lapland Chamber Orchestra.^[19]

Lu has also guest-conducted the Seattle Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Singapore Symphony and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Auckland Philharmonia,^[19] Dunedin and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras.^[20]

In August 2024, Lu made her BBC Proms debut conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The programme included the UK Premiere of Francisco Coll’s Cello Concerto, played by Sol Gabetta.^[21]

Awards

In 2020, Lu won first prize at both the International Conducting Competition "Guido Cantelli" in Italy,^[22][23][24] and the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition in Germany.^[25]

Other

Tianyi Lu featured in the fifth episode of the documentary series Wonder Women by Christina Rose and MirrorWater Entertainment. The episode, titled A Woman's New World, was filmed in early 2020 and released at the end of 2021.^[26][27][28] This highlighted her ethos of empowerment, using music to create compassionate connections across diverse communities.^[4][15]