Charlie Lyu Sings in the Keys of Life
Xochitl Hood | STAFF WRITER
April 23, 2026
Charlie Lyu, performer and history lover, awaited me on a bench in the Business Lounge in Hoover Hall. Introductions came and went, until I asked him to spell out his last name, where I then found myself receiving an engaging philology lecture.
Lyu began tracing the connections between his last name’s sound and its spelling. He brought the German alphabet and Chinese letters together to discuss sounds that cannot be formed in the latter, but instead are created perfectly through the German alphabet.
His passion for taking someone through cultural tidbits is infectious. Lyu’s storytelling offers a window to some of the experiences which brought him to Whittier College.
Born with what he describes as his “eye situation,” referencing his blindness, Lyu discovered his appreciation for music and performance in Hangzhou. This “beautiful city” can be found just outside Shanghai, China.
“I didn’t have any other outside school activities to do, so I just stayed in my room, played the radio or listened to CDs or tapes,” Lyu says. “My parents saw, ‘Oh,’ I really like music, and they sent me to a choir group.”
The group instructor suggested that he try solo singing after a few weeks of working together. From this transition, he only found more fun and success. While reminiscing on the feeling of a live audience, he recounts what roped him into the entertainer lifestyle.
“I went to some mini performances when I was in elementary school,” Lyu says. “I realized ‘Oh, I really enjoy those occasions—people clapping for you, shouting, and you become more proud or confident about your singing skills.’”
One country later and with 10 years of singing under his belt, Lyu has found his role in music at the College as a part of the school’s choir as well as with debut roles in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Communication Arts’ musical production of RENT.
Across Philadelphia Street in Performing Arts classes, he met his best friend and fellow performer, Kevin Padilla. They have spent the semester exchanging stories while on cherished walks from place to place on campus.
From one entertainer to another, Padilla admires his creative process—enjoying a front row seat to Lyu’s narrative offerings.
“In Intro to Acting, we were assigned a scene together,” Padilla says. “Our scene was a bunch of weird words that we had to come up with meanings for […] Charlie turned what seemed to be meaningless words into something like a big story.”
As Padilla can attest, Lyu’s ties to performing for an audience mean more to him than just how he feels once the curtains drop and he goes back to his “ordinary life.”
He is also entranced by the ways storytelling’s expression can move its listener.
“I tried to watch some of those […] musical shows and I saw, ‘Oh,’ they are really dramatic and really talented in storytelling, even when I cannot see the views, but I can hear their sound,” Lyu says.
Engaging with sound as deeply as he does, a story comes to mind. One hot October afternoon on the Campus Inn deck, Lyu and I were some tables apart having lunch.
To my surprise, I had my attention pulled from my plate by the sound of crying from his direction. Concerned, as a member of the community and a card-carrying metiche, I got up to check on him.
The closer I got, I could make out songs from a professional production of RENT between his sobs. The play is a devastating tale of a group of friends navigating New York’s East Village amidst the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
So, it all started to make sense after that. Especially when my inquiry on how he was feeling was met with his partial confusion as well as a nonchalant, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
Lyu’s dedication to his craft of drama through the emotional aspects tangible to him also reflects his interest in museums.
Going to a museum is like pulling back the curtain on culture. They help us keep the stories of everyday life. As an avid traveler, the first thing Lyu wants to do when landing in a new place is discover what lies behind its appearances– its history.
“It is hard t o see t h e surrounding world, so I really like to go to museums when I travel to different areas. I borrow an audio describer speaker to listen to the guidance [about] that area’s culture,” Lyu says. “I really want to know about what is different between each country and culture to make a better view of the whole world.”
Lyu has made the College into a training ground for all things performance. With his acting career just beginning, he intends to find a home in the entertainment industry once his time on campus comes to an end.
Make sure to stay up to date with future theatre and choir shows starring Lyu, seize the chance to witness his talent in person.