Lu, born Ludovicus Ecclésius Webster von Britson de Holmessaari, Comte de Young, Marquis de Soncoeur.
Born in Lyon, France. Spent his childhood mainly on Mercer Island, an affluent suburb of Seattle Washington, however traveled with his family and lived in Hawaii, Germany, France, England and India. He is of Finnish/French descent. Author, mosaicist, interior designer, events/stage management and composer.
Lu studied privately from the age of four until he entered boarding school at age nine. Upon his eighteenth birthday, he left boarding school, having never finished. Traveling the globe as a model, Lu ended up living in Los Angeles only to hit rock bottom and on October 17th, 1994, Lu was notified he had acquired HIV.
Returning to Seattle, Lu began his studies at the prestigious Cornish College of the Arts. After completing only a semester and half he withdrew due to complications from HIV. Eight months later, while still recovering, he returned to Los Angeles, London, Paris and NYC… hell-bent on exorcising the last of the demons from his system. After multiple suicide attempts, he returned to Seattle in December 1997 where Lu signed a lease on a flat and embraced stability with open arms.
A chance meeting with world-renowned pianist Peter Mack in November 2000, Lu was encouraged to return to Cornish and six weeks later, he did. In May 2006, he graduated with honours with a Bachelor of Music: Composition and Stage Management. Lu also holds Bachelors in Philosophy and Comparative Mythology.
Lu has studied with world-renowned composers: Bern Herbolsheimer, John Burrow, Laura Kaminsky, Jarrad Powell, Janice Giteck, Linda Waterfall and Amy Rubin. Performers: Connie Hungate and Peter Mack. Vocalists: Natalie Lerch, Beth Winter and Kelly Harland. Choreographers: Jonathan Betchtel, Frances Donahoe and Nicholas Strasburg.
In his own words -
I am something in-between and at the same time nothing at all.
I am a listing ship that refuses to sink.
I have three degrees and smarter than the average bear.
I qualify to be a member of Intertel and Mensa, however was told I think about colour from an emotional (instead of logical) perspective and wasn’t given entry.
I have permanent vertigo from an abusive relationship. There is no cure and it only gets worse – but the medications are nice.
I have more life experience in my pinky that most people have in their entire lives.
I have had my heart shredded by love and healed by art.
I am living proof that a diagnosis of HIV will never equal a death sentence.
I have loved you and wished many horrible things upon you while I sleep and dream.
I have survived every rock life has hurled at me from on high.
Some people find me intimidating… I am not afraid of who I am and what I have done.
I bleed the same colour as you and I feel the same pain as you.
I am in tatters but the wind will never knock me over.
I am nothing special yet there is something in me that you wish you could be.
I have thousands of self-inflicted scars on my body.
I have 9 tattoos and 8 piercings and soon to get more… tattoos that is.
I am human, I am flawed and I am awake.