Lucy Wu, 15, is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She began cello studies at age 7 and studies with Dr. Stefan Kartman. Since her solo orchestral debut at age 10 with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, she has soloed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. Lucy won the 2024 Enkor International Music Competition, 2024 DePaul National Concerto Competition, 2023 Chippewa Valley Symphony Young Artist Competition, 2023 Chicago International Music Competition, 2019 and 2020 MYSO Concerto Competition, and was a finalist in the 2023 Bolz Young Artist Competition, which was broadcasted live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio. She has also won scholarships from the Schubert Club Competition (2022, 2023, 2024) and Civic Music Competition (2024). She has worked with renowned cellists including Paul Katz, Hans Jensen, Guy Johnston, Melissa Kraut, Alan Rafferty, and Stephen Balderston, among others. Lucy also enjoys playing chamber music at the Academy. She currently plays in Quartet Meraviglia, which won the 2024 MYA Chicago National Chamber Music Competition, was a finalist in the 2024 Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition and will be competing in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition quarterfinals and Saint Paul String Quartet Competition finals. In 2023, as member of the Luminos Piano Trio, she advanced to the Fischoff semifinals and was featured on WFMT Introductions. Lucy is a junior at Whitefish Bay High School, where she is co-principal of the chamber orchestra, VP of Music Club, debate team captain, and Tower Times reporter.