Thomas is an 11th-grader who began playing the piano at the age of five. Much of Thomas’ recent work has centered on the music of Chopin. At the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas’s Sonatina and Sonata International Youth Piano Competition, he won 1st Prize with Special Honors PLUS in 2020 and the Grand Prix in 2022. At the Chopin Society of Houston’s International Chopin Youth Competition, he earned the Bronze in 2021 and an honorable mention in 2023, and he reached the semi-finals in 2019 and 2025. In 2025, he traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to take part in the Texas State International Piano Festival. Also in 2025, he performed Chopin’s Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, at Carnegie Hall as a Grand Prix winner at the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas’s 35th Anniversary concert. In 2026, he won 1st Prize with Special Honors 3 PLUS at the Society’s Sonatina and Sonata competition, earning a return to Carnegie Hall for the second consecutive year. He performed Chopin’s Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1, in the Society’s Rising Stars recital. That same year, he was selected for the IV Chopin Academy in Vienna. In Vienna, he performed Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, at Ehrbar Saal and the Nocturne in C minor at the Musikverein. Thomas was named a Finalist in the 2026 Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) Solo Performance Contest, after reaching the semi-finals four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025. He won 1st Place in both the 2020 Dallas Music Teachers Association Piano Solo Competition and the 2020 Junior Pianists Guild competition. He also participated in the 2022 Texas State International Piano Festival. His other honors include 6th Place at the 2025 Dallas Symphonic Festival, an honorable mention at the 2024 North Texas Young Artist Competition, and a semi-finalist placement at the 2023 Baylor/Waco Piano Competition. Beyond the piano, Thomas began on violin before transitioning to viola in 2023, earning selection to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-Region ensemble on violin from 2021 to 2023 and on viola from 2024 to 2026. He plays in his school orchestra and competes on strings in the TMTA Solo Performance Contest and the Dallas Symphonic Festival. Outside of music, he enjoys taekwondo, sailing, video-gaming, and reading.
Watch Thomas Liew perform Nocturne in C minor, Op.48 No.1 by F. Chopin on the piano for the 2026 Instrumental Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.