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Sophia Liu

Piano

  • At the age of 16, Canadian pianist Sophia Liu is rapidly emerging as one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Liu’s “extremely clear, delicate, refined and almost supernaturally fluid” touch (Le Monde) coupled with her “phenomenal virtuosity” (Bachtrack) have captivated and mesmerised audiences worldwide.

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  • Liu’s 25/26 season opens with her NHK Symphony debut in Tokyo and Osaka, where she performs Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concert No. 2 under the baton of Eva Ollikainen. Further highlights in the season include recitals at the Konzerthaus Berlin; Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier; Teatro La Fenice, Venice; Opéra National de Lyon; Tiroler Festspiele Erl; La Folle Journée, Nantes and Tokyo; Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron; Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Torino; Bologna Festival; Chopin Society, Minnesota; Portland Ovations; Musashino Cultural Foundation and Tokyo Yamaha Hall.


    As a soloist with orchestra, Liu appears with the Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Hawaii Symphony and Sinfonia Varsovia in 25/26, among others. Recent appearances have included performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice at the La Folle Journée de Nantes and Orchestre National de Cannes at La Roque d'Anthéron.


    Previous recital highlight includes performances at the Fond ation Louis Vuitton, La Roque d'Anthéron, International Chopin Piano Festival at Duszniki Zdrój, International Chopin and His Europe Festival in Warsaw, Festival La Grange de Meslay, Place des Arts Montreal, National Theater and Concert Hall Taipei and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts-Weiwuying.


    Born in Shanghai, Sophia Liu was raised in Japan until moving to Montreal at age 7 to study with Dang Thai Son. Liu has won various prizes at international piano competitions, including First Prize at the 18th Ettlingen International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition, and various prizes at the first edition of the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Competition. In October 2025, Liu released her first studio album of solo piano, featuring Liszt’s Réminiscences de Norma and Chopin’s Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise.

    2025/26 season / 329 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 7548 317499
tcheung@intermusica.com

All artists

Contralto

Avery Amereau

Actor / Narrator

Amira Casar

Chansonnier

HK Gruber

Harpsichord

Richard Egarr

Piano accompanist

Roger Vignoles