John Liu is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo, CA. He began studying piano at the age of 6 under Dr. Igor Shochetman, and since 2017, he has studied with Thomas Hansen. He has also been learning cello with Irina Pelman since he was 8 years old. He is the principal cellist in the Aragon High School Chamber Orchestra and plays in the Villa Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, as well as participating in the Bay Area Youth Choir & Orchestra. On the piano, he has completed the Certificate of Merit Advanced Level and been invited to play at the Junior Bach Festival’s concert. He has been in his high school’s string quartet since its inception in 2023, and since then, the group has won 3rd place at the Charleston International Music Competition as well as two consecutive gold medals at the CMEA Solo & Ensemble Festival. His work in music composition includes Beneath the Veil for solo piano, which won the Golden Key Music Festival.
Watch John Liu perform Etude Op. 25 No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin on the piano for the 2025 Global Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.