Lucy Wu, 16, is a Richard D. Colburn Scholarship for Artistic Excellence Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She studies with Dr. Stefan Kartman. Lucy began cello studies at age 7. She made her solo orchestral debut at age 10 with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra as winner of the 2019 MYSO Concerto Competition and has since performed as a soloist with the Milwaukee, Madison, Chippewa Valley, and Oistrakh Symphony Orchestras. She has had the honor of working with professors including David Ying, Clive Greensmith, Hans Jensen, Alan Rafferty, Melissa Kraut, Paul Katz, Stephen Balderston, and Guy Johnston. Lucy has won top honors in numerous competitions. Most recently, she was named a finalist in the Bolz Young Artist Competition, where she will perform a second time (previous 2023 finalist) with the Madison Symphony Orchestra live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio in March 2025. In 2024, she won 2nd grand prize at the 2024 Chicago International Music Competition, selected out of 100 contestants from 13 countries and across 6 divisions. She was also the winner of the 2024 Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Competition, 2024 Enkor International Music Competition, and 2024 DePaul National Concerto Competition. As winner of the Stars of Tomorrow, she will perform 4 more times with the Milwaukee Symphony in their 2025 Rhythm Rhapsody concert series. In 2023, she was the winner of the 2023 Chippewa Valley Symphony Young Artist Competition and 2023 Chicago International Music Competition (Young Artist 1 division). Additionally, Lucy is a laureate of the O’Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition (2024), the Schubert Club Competition (2022/2023/2024), and Civic Music Association of Milwaukee Competition (2024). Lucy also enjoys playing chamber music. She has attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Ascent International Chamber Music Festival, and Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute. Her quartet, Quartet Meraviglia, won the 2024 Junior Division Bronze Medal at the world’s largest chamber music competition- the Fischoff Competition, Silver Medal at the 2024 Saint Paul National String Quartet Competition, and overall open division first prize at the 2024 MYA Chicago National Chamber Music Competition. As cellist of the Luminos Piano Trio, she advanced to semifinals at the 2023 Fischoff Competition. She has been featured on Chicago’s classical music radio network-WFMT Introductions with both ensembles. Lucy is a junior at Whitefish Bay High School where she is vice president of the Music Society, varsity debate team captain, Coding Club Co-President, and a Tower Times reporter.