Tianyi Lu caught the conducting bug when she was just 19 years old, more than a decade ago.
These days, she is living in the Netherlands as a freelance conductor - her thrilling energy, creativity, and empathy taking her to podiums around the globe.
She is currently back in Aotearoa New Zealand to direct the National Youth Orchestra, ahead of making her BBC Proms debut next month, and conducting the New York Philharmonic later this year.
Lu speaks to Three to Seven's Bryan Crump about what makes a great conductor and the rollercoaster over the past few years, from "crying in the foetal position" during pandemic border closures, to building resilience and practicing "radical compassion".
Tianyi Lu conducting the APO Photo: ©Adrian Malloch
