Dr. Yuanyuan Liu

Yuanyuan Liu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Hartt School, University of Hartford, where she also earned her master’s degree under the mentorship of Professor Paul Rutman. During her studies, she also received coaching from Jose Ramos Santana and Luiz de Moura Castro. Originally from China, Yuanyuan began her piano journey at the age of six and received her formal training at the attached School of the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, where she later completed her bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance.

During her studies, she consistently earned numerous scholarships and distinguished herself in prestigious competitions. She was awarded the Evelyn Bonar Storrs Scholarship, the Fuller Talent Award, and the Irene Kahn Piano Scholarship. Her competition accolades include First Prize at the Chopin Memorial Competition held during the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the Excellence Prize at the Classic Piano Sonata Contest in Wuhan, and Best Piano Solo at the Yueyang Pugongying Televised Competition.

Her performances span across Asia, the United States, and Puerto Rico, including solo recitals and lecture tours in cities such as New York, San Juan, Malibu, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Wuhan, Ji’an, Yueyang, Changsha, and Pingjiang Yuanyuan has performed in esteemed venues like Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Sala Anthony ‘Junior’ Soto Hall, Lincoln Theater, Ji’an Baoli Concert Hall, Qintai Concert Hall, Bianzhong Concert Hall, Steinway Garden Hall, and the Yueyang Arts and Conference Exhibition Center. In 2023, following a successful solo recital, she was chosen as the cultural ambassador for her hometown, Pingjiang. She has collaborated as an accompanist and chamber musician on numerous performances. Additionally, she has been featured as a performer for the Hartford Music Club and served as a guest artist at the Connecticut Virtuosi Summer Music Institute & Festival.

With over 13 years of teaching experience, Yuanyuan is a dedicated piano pedagogue who has studied piano pedagogy and Suzuki teaching methods. She has been recognized multiple times as an outstanding teacher, with her students excelling in competitions and gaining admission to prestigious universities in the United States. She currently teaches at the Hartt School Community Division.

Yuanyuan has also served as a judge for numerous competitions. Her judging experience includes the 9th Steinway & Sons International Piano Competition (Chair of the Jury), the 34th United States Open Music Competition, and the Young Musician Festival (The Schubert Club of Fairfield County). She is invited to perform and judge for the Concert Star International Music Competition at Carnegie Hall in October 2025.