PETER LIOU

Peter first began playing the piano at age four with Dr. Lam. And although he only studied with her for two months, he still remembers and treasures the opportunity he had to play his first notes under the tutelage of Dr. Lam, even though his goal was probably not focused on playing well but rather on getting those scratch-n-sniff stickers at the end of each lesson. In high school Peter joined the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, of which he was both the principal keyboardist and a member of the violin section.

Peter later enrolled as a college student at Columbia University, joining the university orchestra as a violinist, later becoming concertmaster of the orchestra during the season of 2005-2006, and soloed with the orchestra as a pianist in 2007. Peter has won several competitions, including the Cleveland International Piano Junior Competition, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, as well as the Columbia Polish Society’s Chopin Competition. He has been featured in many Cleveland Orchestra educational concerts, and often performs on the radio in Cleveland. In the summer of 2007, Peter attended the Conservatoire Américain in Fontainebleau, France with fellow alum Sophia Yan on full scholarship from Columbia. In addition to piano and violin, Peter also plays the organ, and presents organ recitals at Saint Paul’s Chapel every year. He studies piano with Olga Radosavljevich at the Cleveland Institute of Music, violin with Wei-Shu Co, and organ with Paul Martin-Maki.

Currently Peter is attending Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons as a medical student. He is currently president of the Musician’s Guild, where he organized a benefit concert in order to raise $60,000 to help restore a Steinway piano that once belonged to Sergei Rachmaninoff. Peter is also a member of the Chinese Community Church of New York, where he serves as pianist and Sunday School teacher. His interests include languages, traveling, electronics, Korean drums, and Chinese calligraphy. Peter will be in Tanzania this summer conducting research on HIV and Tuberculosis.