‘Dream come true’ for US pianist Eric Lu after Chopin competition triumph
American pianist Eric Lu has claimed the top prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition, the organizers announced on Tuesday.
The famed contest, held every five years in Frederic Chopin’s native Poland, is extensively regarded as a helipad for classical musicians aiming for transnational success. Victors frequently secure global musicale tenures and recording contracts.
“This is a dream come true,” Lu, 27, told reporters in Warsaw, expressing his gratitude to “all the Chopin lovers around the world.”
A graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Lu preliminarily contended in the 2015 edition of the contest, finishing fourth.
The competition challenged pianists to demonstrate mastery across Chopin’s different forces, including polonaises, sonatas, and mazurkas.
Eric Lu wins #chopincompetition2025 pic.twitter.com/X9xaKM8uQJ
— Mateusz Sobecki (@MateuszSobecki) October 21, 2025
The homestretch pushed 11 rivals to perform one of two piano concertos and the demanding Polonaise-Fantaisie, a piece famed for its specialized and emotional complexity.
Once winners have included some of the classical world’s most famed names, such as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, and Krystian Zimerman. This time, the jury was chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the competition’s 1970 laureate.
“We had several very difficult discussions involving our opinions about artistic matters, and it did really take this long,” Ohlsson said following nearly five hours of deliberations.
“But we actually got rid of the roadblocks, and I think we have a fine decision for this year’s competition,” he added.
The event is open to youthful pianists aged 16 to 30. This time, the Warsaw organizers entered a record- breaking 600- plus operations. Only about a tenth advanced through the strict qualification process, which included a primary round in Warsaw.
The former competition, delayed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, saw Canadian pianist Bruce Liu take the top prize in 2021.
Eric Lu’s palm marks another chapter in the competition’s century-long heritage of discovering exceptional gift, cementing his status as a rising star on the transnational classical stage.