“Zwycięzca, zwycięzca, obiad z kurczaka!!!”
(According to AI, that’s how one would say “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” in Polish. I’m not sure that’s correct, but words are failing me to express my giddy elation, and incorrect Polish is as good as gobbledygook English in cases of flabbergasted speechlessness, I’m sure.)
Yes, call us silly and frivolous, but we are just beside ourselves with elation at Eric Lu’s epic win at the Nineteenth International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, early yesterday evening. If PPI’s stake in the Van Cliburn felt intense and personal, with season opener Evren Ozel bringing home the bronze, the nail-biting suspense of the Chopin was prolonged agony. Eric Lu, who took the fourth place at this prestigious competition back in 2015, was already scheduled to play with us in 2024, and due to injury had to postpone his recital to November 16th, 2025. And right in between sat The Chopin. Not only was the third and final stage of the competition spread out over three long days, the jury took almost four hours to come to an agreement, leaving close to 38 000 online followers around the globe and hundreds in attendance live at the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall in breathless, frustrated anticipation.
When the announcement finally came, it was after 2 am in Poland, well into the morning in Asia and 6 pm in Portland, Oregon. Driving home from my girls’ piano lesson, frantically listening to the YouTube stream on my phone and panicked about losing reception in the “dead spot” on NE Fremont, I was surprised that my car windows didn’t shatter when those golden words were spoken: “A zwycięzcą jest ... And the winner is … Eric Lu!”
And what a win! At 27, Eric may have been one of the “oldest” contestants (the rules stipulating that all applicants be born between 1995–2005), but it is precisely that maturity, pacing and poise that carried him through three weeks of relentless tension. His final performance of the Polonaise-Fantasie, and then the Concerto in F Minor, Op. 21, was simply transcendent and as formidable as all the finalists were, the PPI team all wholeheartedly agree with the jury’s decision to bestow the honor of a Chopin gold on this tenacious, determined, refined and philosophical poet of the piano.
It also turns out that the New York Times article on Saturday, 18 October, comparing the Chopin competition to the Olympic Games, had a prophetic message for us in Portland. “Pay attention to the pianists onscreen,” the article concludes. “The next time you see them, it may be at your local concert hall.”
That local spot is Lincoln Performance Hall, and the date is 16 November 2025. We can’t wait to see you there! As of writing this, we are completely SOLD OUT. We’ve done everything in our power to get him a second night, but due to this spectacular win, Eric is fully booked. To be placed on the waitlist, should we have ticket returns, please email us at info@portlandpiano.org