Biography

Born in Luxembourg, Chiahu Lee‘s (also known as Chia-Chia) upbringing was shaped by a rich blend of Eastern and Western cultures under the loving and artistic wings of her mother. Besides performing and teaching the piano at the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Chia-Chia is an autodidact in photography and design, and enjoys combining her skills at the non profit organisation Fingertips ASBL with which she has raised over 26.000 Euros. Chia-Chia has in her musical endeavours always been driven by a deep sense of social conscience which have led to projects such as ‘Medtness‘ (touring the UK performing the lesser known works by Nikolai Medtner), ‘Festreeval‘ (a charity festival connecting music composed in the form of variations with biodiversity) and ‘Goldberg by 32 pianists – a variation a day keeps the doctor away‘ (a solidarity initiative launched during the worldwide lockdown). Chia-Chia has recently published a recording of her own arrangement/composition “(ré)inventions for two pianos”, a complete recomposition for two pianos of J.S. Bach’s 15 inventions for two voices. (Order via listn.fm/bachreinventions)

Chiahu began studying piano at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg City with Caroline Tse and Beatrice Rauchs when she was just five years of age. In 2008, she received her Premier Prix in chamber music with great distinction, as well as the Diplôme Supérieur in piano with distinction in the following year.

For both her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Chiahu won an entrance scholarship at the Royal Northern College of Music. Under the tutelage of Helen Krizos, she completed her Bachelor’s degree with distinction in 2014 and already in the following year obtained her Master’s diploma.

Chiahu was the finalist of the RNCM Schubert Prize, the Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias Piano Festival and the Lions Club International European Music Competition, and has been awarded the Stephen Bell Award, the William Humphreys Dayas Prize, the Helen Porthouse Prize, the Pinson/Pierce Award for Bach performance and third prize at the RNCM Recital Prize. In May 2024, Chiahu won 1st place at the entrance exam for piano professor at the Conservatory of Luxembourg City.

Outside of the piano, Chiahu had her first photography solo exhibition in February 2015 curated by ArtVanguard in Manchester, and was awarded first prize at the RNCMCU photography competition later in June. The following year, she had the honour of showcasing the collaborative work ‘52‘ at Didsbury Art Festival.