Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao, Piano

Biography

Known for her nimble technique, nuanced tone and impeccable sense of timing, pianist Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao has presented solo performances in venues such as Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Temple Square in Utah, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. Her first solo album of works by Granados, Schumann and Beethoven was released by MSR Classics in 2010.  MusicWeb International praised the album, describing Liao's playing as "energetic and brisk... elegant and thoughtful." Fanfare described "a very impressive and well-thought-out program," and Audiophile Audition noted that her Granados "captures the folk element in the music very well, bringing color and dash to her performance."

An active collaborative pianist as well, Amber Liao has worked with numerous musicians and ensembles, including David Cowley, principal oboe of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Garth Greenup, principal trumpet of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; and violinist Laura Goldberg, faculty at the Juilliard School. Ms. Liao performed several piano quintets with peers at the Manhattan School of Music and the experience piqued her interest, resulting in her doctoral dissertation on piano quintets written after 1950, with focus on works by Schnittke, Ginastera and Feldman.

Ms. Liao's inventive recital programming frequently includes lesser known works, and unusual pairings of compositions of contrasting styles—an early Mozart sonata followed by the last completed piano work by Schumann, or pairing suites by Fauré with one of Handel's. An avid supporter of contemporary music, she has premiered a work for solo piano by Chih-Chen Wei and a piano quintet by Scott Wollschleger. For her recitals in 2014, Amber Liao will present programs including works by Eastern European composers Leoš Janáček, Béla Bartók, George Enescu and Karol Szymanowski.

Ms. Liao began her musical training in Taiwan and continued her studies in the United States with Boris Slutsky and Arkady Aronov. She has performed in the master classes of John Perry, Leon Fleisher and Dimitri Bashkirov. Ms. Liao holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute. She is the winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, the Taiwan Classical Music Society Young Artist, and the Lillian Fuchs Memorial Chamber Music Competition.