2025 Emerging Artists Series | Shan Liu

Join us on Wednesday, May 7th, at 7:30 pm, for a Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series recital 2025, featuring the talented Shan Liu.

Shan Liu, a 15-year-old pianist and Year 11 student at Westlake Boys High School, is rapidly emerging as one of the most promising talents in classical music under the guidance of renowned educator Stephen De Pledge.

His journey to international acclaim is marked by a series of remarkable victories, including the Grand Jury Prize at the 8th Macao International Piano Competition, the Grand Gold Prize at the Pacific Rim International Music Competition, and the Gold Award at the GOCAA (Global Outstanding Chinese Artists Association) New York International Music Competition. Shan has also achieved First Place at prestigious events such as the César Franck International Piano Competition in Belgium, the Kings Peak International Music Competition in the USA, and the International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in The Netherlands.

In 2023, he made history as the youngest-ever winner of the Lewis Eady National Junior Piano Competition and received the VAC (Variety Artists Club of New Zealand) Classical Music Award. In 2024, Shan was honoured with the GOCAA Young Artist Award and the AIMES Emerging Talent Award, and he was invited as a Featured Soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) for 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons and the Manukau Symphony Orchestra (MSO) for 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons. Shan won the First Place at the 2025 National Concerto Competition and became the youngest ever winner in the 57 years’ event history.

In 2024, his international reputation expanded further when he became the first New Zealand young pianist invited to the prestigious Morningside Bridge Music Program (MMB) at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, a fully funded, one-month program that offers mentorship from some of the world’s leading musicians.

Shan's performances have graced renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Sydney Opera House, and Auckland Town Hall. His solo recital at the 2022 Beethoven Orbit Festival in Aachen, Germany, garnered widespread acclaim for his technical brilliance and emotive interpretation.

He has collaborated with many of New Zealand's leading orchestras, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, NZSO National Youth Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) Up Close Concerts, Auckland Youth Orchestra, Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Bay of Plenty Symphonia, St. Matthews Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra Auckland, making his orchestral debut at the age of nine.

2025 EMERGING ARTISTS SERIES | FEATURING SHAN LIU

Programme

Chopin - Fantaisie in F minor, Op.49

Bach - English Suite No.3 in G minor, BWV 808

Chopin - Piano Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58 (4th Movement)

Interval

Ravel - Alborado Del Gracioso from Miroirs

Debussy - Reflects Dans I’ean from Images

Rachmaninov - Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36


For more information on the foundation, visit the CLEF website.