Liza W,
American-born Korean-Chinese musician Liza Wu is a classical pianist/keyboardist, organist, music director, chamber musician, and educator in Manhattan, performing regularly with professional musicians in NYC in performance venues such as the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, the halls at Curtis Institute, Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, Boston University, Indiana University Bloomington, Duke University, Ball State University, Westminster College, Morehouse College, USAF Academy, and West Point; Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, CA), California Center (San Bernardino, CA), Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, FL), Broward Center (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Philharmonic Center (Naples, FL), Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (West Palm Beach, FL), Fox Theater (Atlanta, GA), Majestic Theater (San Antonio, TX), Waco Hippodrome (TX), Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, TN), Opelika Center for the Performing Arts (FL), Milwaukee Theater (WI), Spencer Theatre (Alto, NM), Vilar Center for the Arts (Beaver Creek, CO), Yardley Hall Carlsen Center (Overland Park, KS), Von Braun Civic Center (Huntsville, AL), Mulroy Civic Center (Syracuse, NY), Music Hall (Detroit, MI), Centre in the Square (Kitchener, ON), Capitol Centre (North Bay, ON), Kresge Auditorium (Interlochen, MI), and Zeiterion Performing Arts Center (New Bedford, MA).
Pedagogically, she has trained and taught at Cleveland Institute of Music’s Preparatory Piano Program, Oberlin College Conservatory’s Piano Lab, School for Strings (Suzuki), and Diller-Quaile School of Music, in NYC.
Teaching specificities include concert/exam/competition preparation, collaborative/chamber music coaching, facility in sight-reading/vocal diction/presentation, as well as technique and musicality, for young children new to piano, up through high school, college/conservatory adults, and continuing education for professionals/educators/presenters.
Performance degrees from Cleveland Institute of Music, MM (Solo, Olga Radosaljevich; Collaborative Piano Performance, Anne Epperson/Russell Miller; Orchestral Keyboard, Joela Jones); Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, BM (Piano, Joseph Schwartz, Lydia Frumkin; Organ, Haskell Thomson; Harpsichord, Lisa Crawford); Private Study, Juilliard School (Victoria Mushkatkol, Jonathan Feldman); Diploma & Fine Arts Award, Interlochen Arts Academy and Camp (Piano, Victoria Mushkatkol; Violin, Julia Bushkova); Private Study, Alec Chien; Suzuki Certification, School for Strings NYC.
International presentations in Canada, Italy, Amsterdam, Poland, Switzerland, Canada, and Grand Cayman. She has been a long-time affiliate of many prestigious organizations including Barnard College/Columbia University, New York University, the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Organist), the Old Basilica of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Organist, Substitute), the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI. She is a regulator pianist/collaborator of renowned musicians and director/pedagogues Amadi Azikiwe, Rodney Marsalis, Jia-Yi He, Josephine Mongiardo, Harolyn Blackwell, and Catherine Malfitano; most recently she joined the piano faculty of The 92nd St Y New York, and Bloomingdale School of Music (teaching partnerships with The School at Columbia and The Cathedral School of St John the Divine); and nurtures a successful piano studio remotely as well as privately, for over 25 years.
As an organist, she has performed most recently internationally in Poland, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as NYC, in-services at the beautiful St. Patrick’s Old Basilica, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Fifth Avenue, St. Paul’s Chapel, and the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
Previously, she was a pianist/keyboardist for New York Stage and Film; Interlochen Arts Camp and Institutes, School for Strings (NYC); on the faculty of the Professional Performing Arts School NYC, Avenues: The World School (NYC), Music Conservatory of Westchester, Killington Music Festival; Music Director of the Church of St. Denis; Assistant Music Director/Pianist of the New York Youth Symphony Singers; Assistant Music Director/Keyboardist for Columbia Artists’ Theatricals National Tours North America; Pianist/Harpsichordist of the Bronx Opera, Chelsea Opera & Orchestra, and Concerts in Motion; Piano and Chamber Music faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music; Pianist of the Charlie Castleman Quartet Program and Tanglewood Institute at Seiji Ozawa Hall; and a sideline musician for NBC’s music series ‘Smash’.
Member SAG-AFTRA since 2012.
Liza teaches private piano and singing lessons.