BIOGRAPHY
TIANYI LU
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve
Internationally recognized for her thrilling energy on the podium, deeply creative interpretation, and open-hearted leadership, Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu collaborates with leading orchestras and opera houses around the world. Her work is driven by an ethos of empowerment, creating connection, and compassion across diverse communities through music.
​
After winning first prize in 2020 at both the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition and the International Conducting Competition ‘Guido Cantelli’ in Italy, Tianyi Lu was appointed Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway, a position she held until the end of the 2023/24 season. She served as Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia in the UK until 2024 and was Assistant Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2019.
Recent highlights include Tianyi Lu’s BBC Proms debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sol Gabetta, as well as performances and recordings with the New York Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Philharmonia Orchestra, The Hallé Manchester, MDR-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre National de Lyon, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Sydney Symphony. A former Dudamel Fellow, she made her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic in 2021 and returned for her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in 2023. Her operatic engagements include “Rigoletto” at Aalto-Musiktheater Essen and the 2023 world premiere of “Marie & Pierre” at Theater Basel.
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve
In the 2025/26 season, Tianyi Lu makes notable debuts with international orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, New World Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Athens State Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, and embarks on a touring project debut in Belgium with the Orchestre National de Belgique. She also returns to perform with the Residentie Orkest Den Haag, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony.​
​
Deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to fostering a more empathetic world through the arts, Tianyi Lu serves on the Board of Directors of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and is an Artist Ambassador for Opera for Peace. She is frequently invited to collaborate with communities and institutions, sharing her insights on empowering leadership, cultural transformation, resilience, and wellbeing. Her outreach work includes appearances on Welsh National Opera’s podcast “The O Word”, guest speaking for London Marathon Events and the “Do More Good” podcast, and conducting and hosting “Ears Wide Open” concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve
Tianyi completed her Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at the University of Auckland with Uwe Grodd and Karen Grylls, before studying at the University of Melbourne with John Hopkins. In 2015 she completed her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting with Distinction at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where she studied with David Jones.
​
She has assisted or participated in masterclasses with Sir Andrew Davis and Xian Zhang (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Daniele Gatti (Concertgebouworkest), and Bernard Haitink (Lucerne Festival Orchestra). Tianyi is also an alumna of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera. Her teachers and mentors include Sian Edwards, Carlo Rizzi, Neemi Järvi, Alexander Polianichko, Kenneth Kiesler, Carlo Montanaro, and Alice Farnham.
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve
Tianyi is based in Europe, where she is loving cycling through nature, exploring new cultures, foods, languages and the sea.
​​​Tianyi is grateful for the support of various scholarship trusts and organisations over the years, including:
​
The Cybec Foundation
Arts Council Wales Pathfinder Award
Prince of Wales Scholarship
Silver Medal, Worshipful Company of Musicians, London
Creative New Zealand
Kiwi Music Scholarship
Anne Bellam Scholarship
Anne Reid Scholarship
LB Wood Travelling Scholarship
Australian Postgraduate Award