Jennie Liu
Pianist Jennie Liu has followed an unconventional path in classical music, beginning her piano studies at age 19. Despite her late start, she quickly earned recognition for her performances, praised for having a "command of audience attention that all successful performers possess" (John Perry) and "unaffected yet elegant musicianship" (Marina Lomazov).
Her recent achievements include top prizes in the International Franz Liszt Center Competition, the Rutgers 2023 Chamber Competition, the Valletta International Piano Competition in Malta, and the MTNA Stecher-Horowitz Two Piano Competition. In 2021, she won the Lamont Solo Honors Competition, leading to her concerto debut at Gates Concert Hall at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. She has performed in concert halls throughout the United States and played in masterclasses with distinguished artists including Jerome Lowenthal, Jerome Rose, Julian Martin, and Gilbert Kalish.
Jennie is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, studying with Dr. Vladimir Valjarević. She previously studied with Dr. Steven Mayer and earned her Master of Music from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. During her undergraduate studies at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, she studied both Voice and the Piano for her music major. She also studied Philosophy as a second major and graduated Cum Laude. Her earlier teachers were Geena Jikyung Kam and the late Nina Lelchuk.
Teaching
Jennie is equally passionate about teaching as she is about performing. Her unconventional path to learning piano has shaped her firm belief in the importance of an exceptional teacher — one with a deliberate, gentle yet firm approach — even at the earliest stages of study. Fully bilingual, she offers lessons in both English and Chinese and has taught over a hundred students across a wide range of experience levels and backgrounds.
In addition to Opus One, Jennie is on the piano faculty at the Bronx School for Music in New York. She serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Rutgers University, a role she also held at the University of Denver. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she taught Music Theory and Music History online alongside private lessons at the University of Denver. Jennie is a Steinway Educational Partner.