Young Chinese pianist sensation Lyu Tianyao, 17, on her love of Chopin and new album deal

Speaking from Poland on a video call, Lyu Tianyao seems like any other teenager, albeit a disarmingly warm and polite one with a radiant smile. But when she performs on stage, a quiet intensity takes over. At the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition – founded in 1927 and held every five years – the then 16-year-old was one of the youngest ever finalists, captivating audiences with playing that was introspective, luminous and, at times, infectiously energetic. Her uncontrived chemistry with the orchestra in the Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor earned her the best concerto prize and a joint-fourth overall finish in one of the toughest piano competitions in the world. For comparison, Eric Lu, who won the 2025 competition at the age of 28, placed fourth when he first entered in 2015 aged 17. My friends would tease me sometimes. ‘Is the piano your boyfriend?’ Lyu Tianyao, pianist For someone who has spent much of her young life in the solitude of a practice room to play at this level, Lyu, 17, has an unusually relaxed approach to competitions. “Rather than an arena, the stage has always been a platform for me to express my inner world,” she says. She avoids social media and the constant chatter of online commentary to keep some of the edge off, and she credits her parents for not adding to the pressure. “They never gave me expectations or pressure,” she says. “That’s why, even when I compete, I can treat it as a gift to them.” Where does her musical talent come from? That instinct to offer music as a gift has to do with her family. Lyu grew up in a musical household in Beijing: her father is a pianist, her mother a violinist. She showed a natural affinity for the piano even as a toddler, always climbing onto the bench to explore its keys. But she never considered herself a prodigy, as she felt she was surrounded by equally dedicated young musicians at the Secondary Music School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music. “I hadn’t really planned to become a pianist,” she says. “It happened gradually. I grew closer and closer to the instrument, until one day I just thought it wouldn’t be so bad spending the rest of my life with it. “My friends would tease me sometimes,” she adds with a chuckle. “‘Is the piano your boyfriend?’” It was a joke, but it was not far off – she spends that much time with it. Another formative presence in her early life was her grandmother, who fell ill when Lyu was eight. During her grandmother’s final months, Lyu would sit with her on the bed and listen to Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. “Music gave her strength during her most painful days,” Lyu recalls. “That taught me music can be a force that sustains life.” After her grandmother died, Lyu honoured her memory by reading the books she had read and listening to the music she had loved. In the process, the young pianist inherited the resolve that had carried her grandmother through. “She was being tortured by illness, but she still searched for hope, for the will to keep living,” Lyu adds. “That gave me a lot of motivation. I learned to turn towards the sun, even when things are hard.” Why she loves Chopin Chopin’s music, to her, is not merely melancholic, as it is often described. “[The] beauty lies in the fact that he doesn’t express perfection,” she says. “He captures the human experience in all its complexity – yearning, hope, struggle, the determination to march on – and he says it all to the piano.” The nocturnes for the solo piano hold deep meaning for Lyu. In 2023, the Polish piano professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron played two nocturnes during a masterclass that Lyu was attending that revealed to her the kind of pianist she wanted to become. “She had emptied herself and given herself to Chopin. I could hear his voice through her. Suddenly it all made sense. I found my direction. I saw the person I hope to become,” Lyu recalls. I draw energy from both pain and hope. Both go into my music Lyu Tianyao, pianist Lyu had always been drawn to Poland – Chopin’s homeland – but it was this encounter that crystallised her decision to study there. She followed Popowa-Zydron to the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan in November 2024. Life in the historic town halfway between Warsaw and Berlin took some getting used to when she moved there as a 16-year-old. At first, her dorm was small and far from the academy, and for the first month, she relied on convenience store meals from Zabka, the Polish equivalent of 7-Eleven. She is still studying at the academy and still worries about her parents and her younger brother often. Rather than let homesickness hold her back, she funnels it into her music. “I draw energy from both pain and hope,” she says. “Both go into my music.” Signing a deal, staying in Poland In June, Decca Classics announced that Lyu had secured an exclusive multi-album deal with the prestigious record label. Her first album is coming out soon and will centre on, naturally, Chopin. “It’s a meaningful starting point, because Chopin has been with me since I was a child,” she says. But she is already looking beyond: “I love Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Schumann … different styles have different appeal. I’m not limited to Chopin.” And what of her next moves, and where she might go after Poland? “I’m not here just for a diploma. I came to learn from [Popowa-Zydron],” she says. “My professor believes I should consider pursuing advanced studies at a top-tier conservatory in the US or elsewhere to earn a degree with greater international recognition.” But even though Popowa-Zydron is approaching retirement, Lyu has no intention of leaving Poland, a place she has come to love, at this stage. “Poland is not merely a place of study for me; it is the homeland of Chopin. Although times have changed, the country retains a cultural atmosphere defined by simplicity, warmth and a deep passion for music.” Details of Lyu’s debut album will be announced by Decca Classics soon. She will be on tour in Japan from August 11-24.

Young Chinese pianist sensation Lyu Tianyao, 17, on her love of Chopin and new album deal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lyu Tianyao, who has secured a multi-album deal with Decca Classics, reveals why she loves Chopin, how she honours her grandmother and more

Lyu Tianyao, who has secured a multi-album deal with Decca Classics, reveals why she loves Chopin, how she honours her grandmother and more