An Evening with Yu Yu Liu and Scott Cuellar

UBC School of Music

6361 Memorial Road, V6T 1Z2, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Yu Yu Liu

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Taiwanese cellist Yu Yu Liu is an avid cellist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the newest cello section member of the Vancouver Opera. In the 2024–2025 season, she served as a member of the cello section with the Victoria Symphony. Prior to this appointment, she held the Principal Cello position with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and held a section position with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra.An active chamber musician, Ms. Liu has collaborated with ensembles such as the Vancouver Cantata Singers and Allegra Chamber Orchestra. In addition to her performance career, she is a dedicated educator, maintaining a private teaching studio for young cellists in Vancouver. She has presented masterclasses at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and served as an adjudicator for the Vancouver Academy of Music in 2022. Ms. Liu has also coached chamber music for the Surrey Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra North Summer Program.Ms. Liu performs regularly with leading Canadian ensembles, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Island Symphony, and Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra.She holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied under Astrid Schween and Fred Sherry. She also earned a Master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the mentorship of Qiang Tu. During her studies, Ms. Liu performed under esteemed conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Semyon Bychkov, Marin Alsop, and Alan Gilbert, in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.Ms. Liu has premiered and recorded numerous contemporary works, including the New York premiere of Yoshirō Irino’s Three Pieces for Cello Solo (1969), the world premiere of Saad Haddad’s Thulathi, and a featured performance in actress-director Fala Chen’s award-winning short film Passenger.While based in New York City, Ms. Liu was deeply engaged with the local music community. She served as Principal Cello of Ensemble 212 from 2016 to 2022 and performed regularly with Bare Opera, Riverside Choral Society, the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, and Opera Italiana Orchestra, among others. Her festival appearances include the Composers Conference: Contemporary Performance Institute, Interlochen Arts Camp, Music@Menlo, and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.When not performing, Ms. Liu enjoys hiking with her family and spending time with her two cats, Bilbo and Frodo.