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Wayne Lu started playing the horn at the age of 10.  By age 17, he had won a concerto competition with the Iowa City Youth Orchestra.  

From 2000-2005, Wayne was the Admissions Coordinator and Horn Instructor at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities School of Music.  He has also served as horn and composition faculty at the West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis.  

Wayne has three solo horn CDs to his credit.  The third was released in the fall of 2015. The second one On the River, was released October 2002.  As a conductor, he also has the debut recording with the University of Minnesota Horn Choir to his credit released in November 2002.  

From 2006 to 2015, Wayne worked as Staff/Faculty at the prestigious Kendall Betts Horn Camp in Lyman, New Hampshire where he has taught private lessons, music theory, ear-training, high school fundamentals class, coached horn ensembles, and performed in staff/faculty solo and horn ensemble recitals with some of the best horn players in the world.  

As a composer, Wayne has written more than 50 works for woodwind quintet, brass choir, horn choir, horn sextet, horn quartet, horn trio, horn and saxophone, horn and flute, horn and piano, horn and organ unaccompanied horn, trumpet and piano, unaccompanied trumpet, trombone and piano, unaccompanied saxophone, solo harp, chamber winds, string quartet, and piano solo.  His works have been performed at many prestigious conservatories and music schools including Juilliard, Indiana University, Eastman School of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Peabody Conservatory, George Mason University, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Kentucky, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, University of Nebraska, West Virginia University, and Northwestern State University to name a few.  Wayne's music has been featured on several recordings including Kurt Gorman's solo trumpet recording, “Convergence”, the Balaton Brass Duo's Changing Times and Colors, Steven Cohen's solo horn recording, Cruise Control, and Amy Schendel's solo trumpet recording, Uncommon Ground.  Wayne is published by Veritas Musica Publishing where he is also President and Founder.  Veritas was founded in 2009 and is based in Eldora, Iowa. Wayne has also been active as an arranger for horn choir, horn quartet, and brass choir.  In 2011, Wayne released his composition CD entitled Legacy: Compositions by Wayne Lu through Veritas Musica Publishing, a Classical publishing company that Wayne founded in 2009.  

Currently, Wayne is the Band Director at Eldora-New Providence School District where he leads the marching band, pep band, jazz bands, and concert bands.  The South Hardin High School Concert Band has won several awards and distinctions including the Best Overall Band and Superior Rating at the May 2018 Valleyfair Music in the Parks national competition and the Sweepstakes Trophy at the May 2014 Worlds of Fun Festival of Bands national competition in Kansas City, MO as the best overall band of the entire competition.  The South Hardin High School Band Program is consistently recognized at state and national contests having earned Division I ratings for numerous performances.

Wayne also teaches private horn students in the central Iowa area.  Wayne's former private horn students have gone on to play professionally and win music scholarships at various top music institutions in the US including Curtis Institute, Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, the University of Illinois, and West Virginia University to name a few.  Wayne has also presented master classes at several top music schools around the country including the The Eastman School of Music, University of Illinois, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, the University of New Hampshire, The University of South Dakota, and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.  

In September 2018, Wayne's book, The Greatest Challenge: The French Horn, a resource for band directors to better teach the French Horn and some great horn stories, was published by Veritas Musica Publishing.  In May 2020, Wayne will present a clinic at the Iowa Bandmasters Association conference to promote this book and help band directors better teach young horn players.  

Wayne’s orchestral experience includes numerous performances throughout the Midwest with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, Decatur Symphony, Danville Symphony, Cedar Falls-Waterloo Symphony, and Prairie Ensemble.  

Wayne has served as Music Director of the Golden Valley Orchestra and also the Lake Waconia Wind Ensemble.  He led the University of Illinois Horn Choir from 1997-1999 with performances throughout the Midwest including a performance at the Midwest Regional Horn Workshop in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1998.  He was also the conductor of the University of Minnesota Horn Choir, a group he formed in 2000. Wayne has also served as a guest conductor for the Eastman Horn Choir and the Bethany Lutheran College Band Festival.  

Wayne’s past horn teachers include A. Kendall Betts, Kazimierz Machala, Virginia Thompson, John Cerminaro, and Paul Anderson.  His composition teachers include Herbert Brun and Alex Lubet. Wayne also studied conducting with Akira Mori. Wayne has a Bachelor's of Music from the University of Illinois, a Master's of Music from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and has finished his doctoral coursework and comprehensive exams from the University of Illinois.  

Outside of music, Wayne is also an avid basketball and tennis player and fisherman.  Wayne is married to Jenny Stadtlander Lu and father to Brock (17), Braxton (12), and Bella (10).