Ji Liu

Praised for his “sensitive and unpretentious musicality” by Pianist Magazine, and referred to as “a major talent” by The Classical Source, Ji Liu has positioned himself as one of the brightest stars in classical music. In addition to topping the classical charts as a Global Classic FM artist on numerous occasions, he also delights audiences around the world, from the Royal Albert Hall in London to Carnegie Hall in New York.

In 2010, Ji Liu’s recording of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Royal Academy of Music Symphonic Brass and James Watson under Academy’s own label has foreseen the pianist’s thriving career as a recording-artist. In 2014, his debut solo album ‘Piano Reflections’ stormed the UK Classical Charts, reaching number one and making him the UK’s biggest-selling classical breakthrough artist of the year. This album was also nominated as the ‘Best Classical Album’ in the prestigious Chinese Music Awards in 2015. Following this success, Ji Liu went on to release two more acclaimed albums, ‘Piano Encores’ and ‘Pure Chopin’. In 2016, ‘Pure Chopin’ was nominated for best classical album of the year (among 19 others) by Classic FM. In 2018, Ji Liu was nominated for “Best Classical Artist of the Year” at The Global Awards in London’s Eventim Apollo.

In 2018, to coincide both with Debussy’s centenary year and the Chinese New Year, Ji Liu released his album “Fire and Water”, in which the pianist draws on an ancient five-element theory contained within Chinese philosophy. The pianist’s infinite affection for French Impressionism and world of art around it, combined with his Chinese heritage, has lead him to deftly juxtapose both popular and much-loved repertoire such as Einaudi’s ‘Le Onde’ – one of the contemporary composers Ji Liu has worked with closely, alongside new arrangements by Ji Liu himself, such as Rachmaninov’s ‘Spring Water’ and Agosti’s rarely recorded arrangement of Stravinsky's ‘Firebird Suite’, in a profound exploration of the complexity of the piano.

As an active soloist, Ji Liu has appeared at major venues and festivals internationally, including all of London’s major concert halls such as the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Barbican Centre, St. John’s Smith Square and Wigmore Hall. He has appeared at the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salle Garnier Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre, the Bristol Proms, the Petworth Festival and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. In 2016, Ji Liu gave the world premiere of Ludovico Einaudi’s Piano Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Damian Iorio and in September 2017, he performed for His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at Dumfries House as part of Classic FM’s 25th birthday celebrations.

Last season saw Ji Liu’s debut with Milton Keynes City Orchestra, his return to the Royal Albert Hall to make his concerto debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Pete Harrison as well as to the Royal Festival Hall where he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.467 with the Mozart Festival Orchestra and Steven Devine. Ji Liu has also worked closely with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, not only on its China tour under Vasily Petrenko but also at the Royal Albert Hall and at its opening season concerts at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall as well as with the Philharmonia Orchestra both at the Royal Festival Hall and at the Henley Festival.

A hugely creative artist and a natural music communicator both on and off stage, Ji Liu has the rare talent to move seamlessly between the musical worlds of Bach's Goldberg Variations and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur L'Enfant-Jésus. His playing always embraces the distinctive qualities of devotion, originality, purity and authenticity. This was pointed by Pianist magazine that noted of Ji Liu’s debut album in 2013: “Ji Liu has a technique to match any virtuoso, however, it is his sensitive and unpretentious musicality that shines forth in this well-recorded debut album”; and further comments from Nottingham Post: “I'm not sure if the RCH Steinway has ever yielded more ravishing sounds, with notes not so much played as caressed into life. There was gossamer lightness in some of the quieter Chopin waltzes as well as streams of notes pulsating with ever-changing colour.”

James Manheim’s review of the artist’s album “Fire and Water” states that “Ji Liu has several things going for him that keep you listening. One is that he is a composer himself, and he does... arrangements of non-piano pieces.” As a prolific composer, Ji Liu pays homage to the great tradition of being a composer-pianist, just like Beethoven, Liszt and Rachmaninoff. Ji Liu has composed both original compositions and transcriptions that reveal his uniquely attractive composing style.

Ji Liu was born in China and studied piano and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, after which he studied under Dmitri Bashkirov at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. In 2007, he continued his studies, focusing on both Piano Performance with Professor Christopher Elton and Composition with Ruth Byrchmore at the Royal Academy of Music where he graduated as a Master of Music with distinction and DipRAM for his extraordinary final recital.

Ji Liu has an infinite passion for the music of Schubert and for innovative performance practice. Apart from his busy performing schedule, Ji Liu is currently working on a part-time PhD project at King’s College London on Schubert’s unfinished piano sonatas and creative programming around them with contemporary music which will lead to an in-depth thesis and a series of fruitful events highlighting the relationship between music and art.

An inspiration to many of the next generation of young musicians both in his native country of China and abroad, Ji Liu is committed to engaging classical music with the outstanding musicians of tomorrow. With his Chinese heritage, his international educational background and his unique experience as a creative performing-artist, Ji Liu has a pioneering and artistic vision which he uses to communicate and inspire fellow students. Ji Liu has performed with the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra, where he worked closely with young musicians both on and off the stage. Ji Liu has also conducted masterclasses at conservatoires such as the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Conservatory Regional Influence De La Réunion in France, to name but a few. Since 2016, he has been a regular visiting artist to the Kent International Piano Course where he has given both masterclasses and recitals to students from pre-degree to doctoral level as part of his on-going efforts to inspire and share knowledge with other musicians.