Bios & promo — benchmark artistes

Yu-Hsuan Liao serves as the Professor of Music and the Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. She is a versatile pianist, serving as a soloist, collaborative artist, and music educator. Her repertoire spans instrumental, chamber, vocal, and choral music across various styles and periods. Yu-Hsuan collaborated with the American Repertory Ensemble in Austin, Texas, performing piano solo, chamber, and vocal collaborative works. Notably, her solo performance with A.R.E., titled "Valses Poéticos" and "Passion at Play," was nominated for the best instrumentalist award by the Austin Critics Table during the 2008-2009 season. In 2009, she published a book based on her dissertation, titled "Manuel de Falla's Cuatro Piezas Españoles: Combinations and Transformations of the Spanish Folk Modes." As a lecturer and performer, she has presented at prominent organizations such as the College Music Society and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). Her international engagement includes a lecture-recital at the 2021 World Piano Conference in Serbia, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was held virtually due to covid pandemic. She received support from the Shepherd Foundation's "Create for the Future Fund" to participate in this conference. Yu-Hsuan currently holds leadership roles as the president of the West Virginia Music Teachers Association, chair of the WVMTA composition commission, and faculty advisor for the MTNA Shepherd Collegiate Chapter. Her students actively participate in research presentations at the MTNA Collegiate Chapter Symposium and WV Undergraduate Research Day. She is also highly active in giving master classes and serving as an adjudicator at festivals and competitions throughout West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and the D.C. area. A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Yu-Hsuan began her musical studies at Tung-Hai University under Thomas Linde. She earned her Master's and Doctoral Degrees in Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Danielle Martin, Dariusz Pawles, and Gregory Allen.

Yu-Hsuan Liao serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Shepherd University in West Virginia. A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Yu-Hsuan received her Masters and Doctoral Degrees of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from University of Texas at Austin under Danielle Martin, Dariusz Pawlas, and Gregory Allen. She began her musical studies in Tung-Hai University under Thomas Linde, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

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 lauded "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 members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and 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 a 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. She also presents themed programs such as music associated with the evening or the night, folk-Inspired Music by Eastern European Composers, and programs in conjunctions with museum exhibitions. 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. She is also a champion of contemporary Asian female composers promoting their works in her recitals and presentations, including ones by Chen Yi, Karen Tanaka, and Unsuk Chin. Trained as a composer during her formative years, Ms. Liao has won composition competitions in Taiwan, her home country. Her love of piano has resulted in her shifting focus to higher level piano studies in colleges and universities. Nevertheless, she continues to compose pedagogical repertoire for her piano students as well. Her collection of "Concert Etudes Inspired by Taiwanese Folk Songs" was published by Chorphilia, inc., and received a positive review in the summer 2021 edition of The Piano Magazine: Clavier Companion. It has also been included in the 2022 edition of the NYSSMA Manual, a repertoire list for music evaluation festivals by New York State School Music Association. 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. Having served as Vice-President of the College Music Society Northeast chapter, Amber is an active member of the music community, and currently the District 1 Chair (Manhattan and Bronx) of the New York State Music Teachers Association. A devoted educator, Ms. Liao has served on the faculty of Montclair State University, Seton Hall University and Snow College. She is currently Assistant Professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College of City University of New York.

Assistant Professor and 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 Chicago Cultural Center and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. Professor Liao's 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 commented on her "very impressive and well-thought-out program," and Audiophile Audition noted that Liao's Granados "captures the folk element in the music very well, bringing color and dash to her performance." An active collaborative pianist as well as soloist, Amber Liao's collaborations with vocalists and instrumentalists have led to performances in the CAMI Hall, Symphony Space and the Lenox Athenaeum, among others. Professor Liao began her musical training in Taiwan and continued her studies in the U.S. with Boris Slutsky and Arkady Aronov. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute. Amber Liao 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. Before joining the faculty at Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York (BMCC/CUNY), Professor Liao taught at Montclair State University and Seton Hall University, and was on the faculty of the Horne School of Music at Snow College as the Director of Piano/Theory. She is a certified adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), and has served as a juror for numerous regional and national competitions. Selected recordings of Amber Liao's performances can be heard online, and she performs widely in the New York City area.

Pianist Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao presents NY premiere of piano solo works by Asian female composers.