Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao 廖幼萱, Pianist
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, the National Concert Hall in Taiwan, and the Chicago Cultural Center. 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 “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 formed a piano quintet 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’s with one of Handel’s. Her most recent program features music by Eastern European composers from the beginning of the Twentieth Century. 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.
Ms. Liao began her musical training in Taiwan. She continued her studies in the United States with Boris Slutsky and Arkady Aronov, and 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. A devoted educator, Ms. Liao has served on the faculty of Montclair State University and Snow College. She currently teaches in New York City and at Seton Hall University in NJ.
鋼琴家廖幼萱曾多次於美國及台灣舉辦獨奏會，包括紐約的林肯中心，卡內基廳，芝加哥文化中心，及台灣國家音樂廳演奏廳。她的獨奏專輯由 MSR Classics 出版，曲目包含舒曼，貝多芬及葛拉那多斯的鋼琴曲。MusicWeb International 形容她的演奏”優雅而深沈”。
除了獨奏之外，廖幼萱經常與傑出音樂家合作演出室內樂。她是Emerald 鋼琴五重奏團的創團成員，曾演出多首鋼琴五重奏的經典曲目，並於她的博士論文中對二十世紀後半的鋼琴五重奏有深入的探討。
廖幼萱的曲目涵蓋各個樂派，除了安排較少被演出的曲目外，也常將不同時期的作品作創新的組合。她經常演奏現代音樂，並數次與作曲家合作，首演青年作曲家魏志真的鋼琴獨奏曲，和 Scott Wollschleger 的 “The Cold Heaven”。
廖幼萱自師大音樂系畢業後赴美，於琵琶第音樂院主修鋼琴演奏，取得碩士學位並獲頒 Rose Marie Milholland Award。她即以President’s Award獎學金得主身份進入紐約曼哈頓音樂學院，攻讀鋼琴演奏，於2007年取得博士學位。旅美期間師事Boris Slutsky 與Arkady Aronov教授，並獲選分別於Leon Fleisher，Dimitri Bashkirov，John Perry，Leslie Howard，Oxana Yablonskaya和Robert McDonald的大師班中演出，深受好評。曾任教於Montclair State University和 Snow College，目前於Seton Hall University教授鋼琴，並時常受邀擔任鋼琴比賽評審。
Her website:https://soundcloud.com/liaoyo
