Eric Lu awarded Avery Fisher Career Grant

This article originally appeared in International Piano. 

Lu was selected by a recommendation board and executive committee who believe he has great potential for a solo career. Lu joins a prestigious list of Grant recipients from the past 45 years including Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn and Yuja Wang.

Lu said: ‘In these challenging times it is a huge boost to receive this recognition. We are living in a time when the arts are needed more than ever and the sustained support for young artists epitomised by Avery Fisher’s philanthropical activities in his lifetime and his numerous endowments remain a source of inspiration.’

Now aged 23, Lu first gained international attention as a prizewinner of the 2015 Chopin International Piano Competition before winning first prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018. Since then, he has released an album on Warner Classics, made his debut at the BBC Proms and become a BBC New Generation Artist (2019-2022). Lu’s recording of Brahms’ Intermezzo Op 117/1 was described by International Piano as ‘truly magical’.

The Avery Fisher Career Grants were started by the late audio industry pioneer and philanthropist Avery Fisher in 1976. Since then, 161 Career Grants have been awarded to young musicians who are either US citizens or permanent US residents. The other 2021 Grant recipients include violinists Geneva Lewis and Kevin Zhu, plus cellists Sterling Elliott and Oliver Herbert.