For all  students who take piano lessons in LA, classical music lovers, professional pianists who prepare for international piano competitions, Such event as Chopin competition is one of the most important events, through which the mew piano stars are discovered.

I am very perplexed with the results to be honest…It’s quite telling that the winner of this year’s Chopin Competition had two of his professors sitting on the jury.

Eric Lu studied with both Robert McDonald and Đặng Thái Sơn — extraordinary musicians, but this raises serious questions about fairness and transparency.

We’ve followed Eric for years and deeply respect his artistry. Yet in this competition, he was not at his best — not so much musically as mentally. The pressure of returning to compete after already having a major career seemed to overwhelm him, and the anxiety was audible. Honestly, he wouldn’t have been in my top three this time, perhaps not even a finalist.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Tianyao Lyu from China played with breathtaking sincerity, imagination, and depth far beyond her age. Her performances were radiant, effortless, and emotionally grounded — to many of us listening, she was the real winner, and everyone knows it.

Here are the official results:

🥇 1st Prize — Eric Lu (USA)

🥈 2nd Prize — Kevin Chen (Canada)

🥉 3rd Prize — Zitong Wang (China)

🏅 4th Prize (tie) — Tianyao Lyu (China) & Shiori Kuwahara (Japan)

🎖️ 5th Prize (tie) — Piotr Alexewicz (Poland) & Vincent Ong (Malaysia)

🏅 6th Prize — William Yang (USA)

But sometimes, prizes don’t reflect the deepest truth of music. At just sixteen, Tianyao reminded the world what pure, inspired playing truly means.