Female-Conductor-In-Residence Welsh National Opera

Principal Conductor St. Woolos Sinfonia

Conductor-in-Residence of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra

Internationally known for her thrilling energy on the podium, her deeply creative approach to the repertoire and her open-hearted style of leadership, Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu collaborates with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Her work is driven by an ethos of empowerment, creating connection and compassion across diverse communities through music. 

After winning first Prize at both the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition and the International Conducting Competition “Guido Cantelli” in Italy, Tianyi Lu has been recently appointed Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway. She is also the Female-Conductor-in-Residence with the Welsh National Opera and Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia in the UK. 

Recent highlights include concerts and recordings with the het Residentie Orkest Den Haag, Västerås Sinfonietta, Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Gulbenkian, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Lu conducted various concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as their Assistant Conductor throughout 2017-2019 and was a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2017/2018.

The 2021/2022 season sees Tianyi Lu making her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, with Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, London Philharmonic Orchestra , Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali and performances of Verdi's Rigoletto at the Aalto-​Musiktheater Essen, plus return engagements with the Hallé Orchestra Manchester, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and  Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. 

Passionately committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and to building a more empathetic world through the arts, Tianyi Lu is an Artist Ambassador for Opera for Peace. She is regularly invited to work with and speak to communities and institutions about her experiences in empowering leadership, transforming cultures, resilience and wellbeing. She has appeared in and hosted Welsh National Opera's Podcast The O Word, has spoken as a guest for London Marathon Events and the Do More Good Podcast, and conducted and hosted Ears Wide Open concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.​

Tianyi Lu completed her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting with Distinction at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2015, where she studied with David Jones.  She has assisted or attended masterclasses with Sir Andrew Davis and Xian Zhang with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Daniele Gatti with the Concertgebouworkest, Bernard Haitink with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and is an alumni of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera. Other teachers and mentors have included Sian Edwards, Carlo Rizzi, Neemi Järvi, Alexander Polianichko, Kenneth Kiesler, Carlo Montanaro and Alice Farnham.

SEASON 2021/2022