Meng-Chieh Liu
A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Meng-Chieh Liu first made headlines in 1993 as a 21-year-old student at The Curtis Institute of Music when he substituted at last minute's notice for Andre Watts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The concert earned high acclaim from critics and audience alike, and was followed by a number of widely praised performances, including a recital at the Kennedy Center and a concert on the Philadelphia All-Star Series. Already an accomplished artist at the time, Mr. Liu had made his New York orchestral debut two years earlier.
Following Mr. Liu's triumph in Philadelphia, an appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra was immediately scheduled, but it was not to be. The stellar beginning of his career was abruptly halted by a rare and debilitating illness that affected his connective tissues. Hospitalized and almost immobile for a year, doctors believed his chances for survival were slim and, should he survive, playing the piano would be "absolutely impossible." With arduous determination and relentless physical therapy, Mr. Liu has been restored to full health and is now once again performing on the concert stage. Since then, he has performed throughout the world as a soloist in recitals and with orchestras under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Dudamel and Alan Gilbert. In 2002, Liu received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award. A sought-after musician and strong advocate of chamber music, Liu performs in music festivals across the globe and has worked with international musicians Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Soyer, Bernard Greenhouse, James Buswell, Wendy Warner as well as the Borromeo and St. Lawrence Quartets. Liu also collaborates with artists in varied disciplines, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project, among other dance companies. His concerts have been heard over the airwaves around the world, and a biography on his life was broadcast on Taiwanese National Television.
During the 2015-16 Season, Meng-Chieh Liu will make several orchestral appearances, including China Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (Taipei) and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (Taichung). This season also concludes the three-year project on the complete cycle of Brahms’ solo piano music. Other performances this year include recitals tours with violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi, Francesca De Pasquale, Simone Porter and violist Teng Li. During the 2016-17 season, Liu will appear with orchestras in Miami, Philadelphia, Beijing, Shenzhen, Kunming, Qindao and Taichung, collaborating with conductors Long Yu, Daye Lin, Kah Chun Wong, Guoyong Zhang and David Wetherill. He will also be the featured soloist with the Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of works written for him by Eli Marshall and Xiaogang Ye.
Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Meng-Chieh Liu began his piano studies early, and at age thirteen was accepted by The Curtis Institute of Music to study with Jorge Bolet, Claude Frank, Gary Graffman and Eleanor Sokoloff, and received first prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific and Mieczyslaw Munz piano competitions. His reputation as a teacher/mentor has brought him across the globe in summer festivals, masterclasses, and lecture recitals. Since 1993, Liu served on the piano and chamber music faculties at The Curtis Institute of Music, and recently added the New England Conservatory to his itinerary. For the last two summers, he was also a faculty member for the Tanglewood Music Center. Also a faculty member at Roosevelt University in Chicago from 20016-2014, Liu also joined Chicago Chamber Musicians in the fall of 2009, and served as Artistic Director of the ensemble from 2011-2014, where performances have already been acclaimed for his "faultless, discreetly balanced pianism" (Chicago Classical Review).
