New York Philharmonic violinist to perform at ETSU

Speak to any great musician and they’ll say their talent is a result of years of hard work, training and practice.

This is true for classical musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart and for modern musicians such as Adele and Beyonce.  Mozart was able to play the piano and violin by age five, and Adele started singing at age four.

Following in the footsteps of Mozart, violinist Kuan Cheng Lu began learning music as a toddler.

He began with learning piano at 4-years-old before switching to the violin at age 6.

Lu left his family in Taiwan behind at age 17 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

Six years later, at the age of 23, Lu’s hardwork and dedication to the violin paid off when he was selected to join the New York Philharmonic. This made him the first Taiwanese classical musician to earn a seat in the Philharmonic.

Since then, Lu has received his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and he more recently received his doctorate in music from City University of New York.

Lu is also a credited on the song, “You Can Finally Meet My Mom,” on Train’s album “California 37.”

Lu will perform a guest artist recital for the third time at 7:30 p.m. Friday at ETSU in Brown Hall Auditorium. ETSU Associate Professor of Music Chih-Long Hu will join Lu onstage with the piano.

ETSU Associate Professor of Music Chih-Long Hu will join violinist Kuan Cheng Lu on piano. (Contributed)

Hu grew up in Taiwan and received his doctorate in Musical Arts of piano performance from the University of Michigan. Lu has performed in North America, Asia and Europe. A few of his performances have been broadcast on NPR and on television stations in Taiwan.

He was also nominated as Best Performer for the 2009 Golden Melody Award along with his recent album, “Formosa Caprices,” which received a nomination for the Best Crossover Album award.

Lu and Hu will perform classical pieces by Beethoven, Bach, Ravel and Saint-Saens.

Tickets for the show are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors and free with an ETSU student ID. To purchase tickets, call the Department of Music at 439-4276 or visit etsu.edu/cas/music.