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.
For more information, visit www.amberliao.com.