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Sophia Liu

Piano

  • At just 16 years old, Canadian pianist Sophia Liu is quickly emerging as the most compelling pianist of her generation. Liu’s "phenomenal virtuosity" (Bachtrack), coupled with her "poise and authority" (Boston Musical Intelligencer) and dynamic interpretations have captivated and mesmerised audiences worldwide. Born in Shanghai, Liu was raised in Japan until moving to Montreal at age seven to study with Dang Thai Son. She made her debut with the Cleveland Orchestra and David Robertson in 2023.  

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  • Throughout the 2024/25 season, Liu appears at festivals and venues including the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Fazioli Concert Hall, Société des Arts de Genève, International Chopin Piano Festival at Duszniki Zdrój, International Chopin and His Europe Festival in Warsaw, Nohant Festival Chopin, Festival La Grange de Meslay, Place des Arts Montreal, National Theater and Concert Hall Taipei and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts-Weiwuying.
     
    As a soloist, Liu made her debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice and Lionel Bringuier performing Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No.2 at La Folle Journée de Nantes in February 2025, a concert which was livestreamed on ARTE. In August 2025 she debuts with Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No.22. Liu will return to Japan in October 2025 to make her concerto debut with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and Eva Ollikainen.

    In 2025/26, Liu has been invited to perform recitals in Berlin, Lyon, Lille, Musashino, Nagoya, Seoul, Minneapolis, Portland and will return to La Folle Journée de Nantes. Previous recital highlights have included performances at Hyogo Prefectural Arts and Culture Center, Hanoi Opera House and Sala São Paulo.

    Sophia Liu has won various prizes at international piano competitions, including First Prize in Category A at the 18th Ettlingen International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition, and Second Prize, Youngest Semifinalist Prize and Audience Prize at the first edition of the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Competition. Her debut album released in 2024 features live recordings from her performances at the Michelangeli Competition.  

    2024/25 season / 341 words. Not to be altered without permission.

Performances

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26/27 Recital Programmes

Programme 1
Bach French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
Albéniz “El Puerto” from Iberia Suite, Book 1 No. 2
“Triana” from Iberia Suite, Book 2 No. 3
Liszt Fantasy on Mozart’s Figaro and Don Giovanni, S. 697
Interval
Glinka “The Lark” (arr. Balakirev)
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition


Programme 2
Brahms Intermezzo in E-flat major, Op. 117 No. 1
Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2
Schubert Four Impromptus, Op. 142
Interval
Chopin Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58


Programme 3
Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53
Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 59 No. 1
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33 No. 4
Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22
Interval
Chopin Waltz in E-flat major, Op. 18
Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1
Bolero in A minor, Op. 19
Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35


Programme 4
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite (arr. Pletnev)
Dumka in C minor, Op. 59
Beethoven Eroica Variations, Op. 35
Interval
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in D-flat major
Sonata in B minor, S. 17

Concerto Repertoire

Beethoven
Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73


Brahms
Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83


Chopin
Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 
Chopin - Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21


Gershwin
Concerto in F major


Grieg
Concerto in A minor, Op. 16


Hummel
Concerto No. 2 in A minor, Op. 85


Liszt
Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124


Mendelssohn
Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 


Mozart
Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467
Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482 
Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 


Prokofiev
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26


Rachmaninoff
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30


Ravel
Concerto in G major, M. 83


Saint-Saëns
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103


Schumann
Concerto in A minor, Op. 54


Tchaikovsky
Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44

"Liu takes every risk and never falters, as if carried away by the music itself. Grandiose... There is the phenomenal virtuosity, the technique that transcends the limits of the piano, the verve, the brilliance of the greatest pianists."

Bachtrack

"A true phenomenon"

Crescendo Magazine

"Truly awe inspiring"

Boston Musical Intelligencer

Intermusica represents Sophia Liu worldwide as part of Intermusica New York.

Martin Wittenberg
Director, Intermusica New York
+1 (719) 200-6426
mwittenberg@intermusica.com

Jessica Barra
Artist Manager
+44 20 7608 9942
jbarra@intermusica.com

Rachel Feldhaus
Associate Artist Manager, Intermusica New York
+1 619-762-8336
rfeldhaus@intermusica.com

Tracy Cheung
Assistant Artist Manager
+44 20 7687 8711
tcheung@intermusica.com

All artists

Chansonnier

HK Gruber

Contralto

Avery Amereau

Counter-tenor

Tim Mead

Harpsichord

Richard Egarr

Piano accompanist

Roger Vignoles

Saxophone

Jess Gillam