Introduction
Kate Liu (born May 23, 1994 in Singapore) is a Singaporean American classical pianist. On October 20, 2015 she won the third prize(bronze medal) and the Polish Radio Award for the best performance of mazurka in the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
Biography
She began playing piano at the age of four. At the age of six, she was admitted to the gifted music program of the Yamaha Music School in Singapore. When she was eight, she moved with her family to the Chicago area, United States. In Chicago, she studied piano with Alan Chow, Micah Yui and Emilio del Rosario in the Academy program for talented young pianists and string players at the Music Institute of Chicago. She graduated from New Trier High School in 2012, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at the Curtis Institute of Music under the guidance of Robert McDonald.She has won several prizes at international piano competitions:
- 2010: New York International Piano Competition in New York City, USA – 1st prize
- 2010: Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition in Oberlin, USA – 3rd prize
- 2011: Hilton Head International Piano Competition for Young Artists in Hilton Head, USA - 6th prize
- 2012: Eastman Young Artist International Piano Competition in Rochester, USA – 3rd prize
- 2014: Montreal International Musical Competition in Montreal, Canada - finalist
- 2015: The 3rd Asia-Pacific International Chopin Competition in Daegu, South Korea – 1st prize
- 2015: 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland (2015) – 3rd prize (bronze medal) and the special prize by the Polish Radio for the best performance of Mazurkas
She has performed with the Warsaw, Daegu (South Korea), Montreal, Cleveland, Hilton Head, Evanston, Skokie Valley, and Rochester orchestras.
Reception from the Polish public
During the Chopin competition, she had wide popular support from the Polish public. For example, she received the highest number of votes cast by listeners of the Second Program of the Polish Radio, and won the contest "My Chopin." In the opinion of listeners of the Program, she was the best pianist of the Chopin Competition. Although her average score from the competition judges placed her third overall, she received the most (3) scores of 10 (the highest allowed), and was the only competitor to receive a standing ovation at the conclusion of her concerto performance.