Taiwanese musician YiChih LU stands as a rare, multi-talented artist in today’s increasingly specialized realm of classical music. With expertise in performance, arrangement, and composition, his skills permeate and nourish one another, yielding a musical voice that is unmistakably his own.

In the early years of his career, LU was better known as a concert pianist. His superb technique was cultivated via European conservatory training and refined through repeated encounters on the stages of international competitions. From the 17yearold who journeyed alone to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in 1999, to the young virtuoso awarded a Konzertexamen by the Berlin University of the Arts in 2011, LU not only received recognition such as the Cziffra Prize from the Vienna Cziffra Foundation, but also won top prizes at major international competitions including Sendai International Music Competition (Japan), María Canals Competition (Spain), and J.N. Hummel International Piano Competition (Slovakia). The Allgäuezeitung in Germany once praised that he “plays sophisticatedly and musically, and phrasing with crystal clear brilliance,” while the South Florida Classical Review noted the combination of speed, agility, and “devilish fun” in his performance of Liszt’s Grandes Études de Paganini.

Having performed in 45 cities in Europe, America, and Asia, graced prestigious stages such as Musikverein in Vienna, Berlin Philharmonie, and Carnegie Hall in New York, collaborated repeatedly as guest soloist with top- tier orchestras in Taiwan including National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO), Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO), Taiwan Philharmonic (NSO), and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (ESO), LU as a concert pianist is most frequently applauded by critics for his solid technique and the expressiveness of dramatic intensity. As early as 2012, his album My Chopin; My Brahms won The Best Instrumental Performance for the Traditional Arts and Music of the Golden Melody Awards (the Taiwanese GRAMMYs). His 2022 solo recital at the Carnegie Hall earned high praise from local critics who noted his “sweeping sense of lyricism that was enabled by the sureness of his technique” which captures the essence of LU’s performance: not merely about speed and power, but the ability to convey profound emotion through his technical prowess.

As a celebrated recitalist, Yi-Chih LU is also a determined champion of Taiwanese composers and their works. Rather than dabbling on them, LU has long committed himself to this repertoire. Early in his career, he recorded Su-Ti CHEN’s Taiwan Sketches album and a collection of piano works by ChiLien HUNG—pieces that capture the precious soundscapes of specific eras in Taiwan, yet are seldom recorded in full by any pianists. In recent years, LU has been invited to perform in commemorative concerts for prominent Taiwanese composers such as KUO Chih-Yuan and CHEN Su-Ti, and his continuous effort to perform works by Bunya KOH, HSIAO Tyzen, Ming WANG, Ming Hsiu YEN, Ching-Mei LIN, Hsiao-Feng CHANG to audience in Europe and America has made him one of the foremost interpreters of Taiwanese music.

While his piano skills were honed through conservatory training, LU’s composition abilities stem from “emulation” - absorbing the craft of great composers through performing their works. From playful tunes written in his youth, to Taiwanese folksong arrangements admired by overseas Taiwanese communities during his student years in Europe, to the increasing number of commissioned works in recent years, LU’s works radiate a rare vitality. His music is not constructed from theoretical frameworks but emerges organically as a vessel for emotions.

LU’s piano works are often compared to those of Liszt, as both excel at transforming familiar melodies into pieces that possess both technical rigor and artistry. Beginning in 2014, LU began rearranging Taiwanese folk songs for piano, in 2016 these works were compiled into the album Zongzi, and to this day his ‘Peach Blossom Takes the Ferry’ has accumulated over 430,000 views on YouTube. While preserving the melodic charm of the originals, these works were written with such pianistic language that allows performers to shine technically, transforming simple folk tunes into expressive instrumental pieces. Through published scores, they have also become popular repertoire among music students and favorable choices for young Taiwanese musicians touring abroad.

In addition to piano works, LU has lately explored writing for various instrumentations, including piano ensembles and chamber groups. His ‘Longing for Your Early Return’ (‘bāng-lí-tsá-kui’) for string quartet and voice was awarded First Prize by the New Taipei City Culture Foundation in 2021, his collaboration with the Twincussion Duo on ‘Cloudy Day’ for double marimba won Best Arrangement at the 2023 Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music, and his second piano concerto is commissioned by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. Choral music is also where LU thrives as a composer-arranger, with works in Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka under his belt. His works have been sung by Taipei Chamber Singers, Kaohsiung Chamber Choir, Taipei Youth Choir, Tabernacle Woman’s Choir, Shan Lan Choir, Halo Choir, Taipei Ladies’ Singers, Taichung Oratorio Choir…etc. and his setting of poet LIAO Yunglai’s text ‘Cabbage’ received the Award of Distinction at the 3rd “Sing for Love” Choral Composition Competition.

Born in Taipei, YiChih LU is a rare combination of performer, arranger, and composer. His musical style inherits the precision and depth of the European academic tradition, while his creative core remains rooted in Taiwanese narratives. He is also an outstanding educator, currently serving on the faculty of the School of Music, Taipei National University of the Arts,
where he also serves as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.