Praised as “prodigiously gifted and sensational performer possessing a jaw-dropping technique and a divine tone” by the New York Concert Review, Chinese-born violist Liyuan Liu grew up in a musical family, and received early musical training from her father. In 1999, she entered the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing with the highest score and studied with Wing Ho and Shaowu Wang. Upon graduation, she received the full scholarship from the Juilliard School and completed her Masters Degree under the guidance of Heidi Castleman, Michael Tree, Steven Tenenbom and Hsin-Yun Huang.
An experienced solo and chamber music performer, Ms. Liu has collaborated with internationally renowned artists and ensembles including Jian Wang, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Steven Doane, the Guarneri, Orion and Colorado Quartets, as well as the Da Capo Quintet. She has performed at the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society and with New York Concerto Sinfonietta at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Highlights of the 2016-2017 season include her chamber music appearance with the Karwendel Music Festival at the Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall as well as her solo appearance with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra for the world premiere of the viola concerto “The Catcher in the Rye” by Tianpeng Gong.
Equally devoted as a pedagogue, Ms. Liu received her Doctoral Degree in Music Education from the Columbia University and was awarded the scholarship from Morse Fellowship. In 2012, Juilliard’s “ACHT” Viola Studio featured Ms. Liu on the American Viola Society Pedagogy Blog and published her article focusing on the shifting techniques.
Currently, Ms. Liu is on the faculty of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and teaches at the Karwendel Music Festival in Germany and the Easton String Festival. She plays on a Joseph Grubaugh viola on loan by the Virtu Foundation.