Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao
Assistant Professor of Music
Music and Art
EMAIL: yliao@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: F-1130O
Office Hours: Wed., Thurs. (1-2 p.m.)
Phone: +1 (212) 346-8635
Assistant Professor and pianist Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao has presented solo performances in venues such as Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Temple Square in Utah, the Chicago Cultural Center and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan.
Professor Liao’s first solo album of works by Granados, Schumann and Beethoven was released by MSR Classics in 2010.
MusicWeb International praised the album, describing Liao’s playing as “energetic and brisk… elegant and thoughtful.” Fanfare commented on her “very impressive and well-thought-out program,” and Audiophile Audition noted that Liao’s Granados “captures the folk element in the music very well, bringing color and dash to her performance.”
An active collaborative pianist as well as soloist, Amber Liao’s collaborations with vocalists and instrumentalists have led to performances in the CAMI Hall, Symphony Space and the Lenox Athenaeum, among others.
Professor Liao began her musical training in Taiwan and continued her studies in the U.S. with Boris Slutsky and Arkady Aronov. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute. Amber Liao is the winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, the Taiwan Classical Music Society Young Artist and the Lillian Fuchs Memorial Chamber Music Competition.
Before joining the faculty at Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York (BMCC/CUNY), Professor Liao taught at Montclair State University and Seton Hall University, and was on the faculty of the Horne School of Music at Snow College as the Director of Piano/Theory. She is a certified adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), and has served as a juror for numerous regional and national competitions.
Selected recordings of Amber Liao’s performances can be heard online, and she performs widely in the New York City area.
Expertise
Piano, Piano performance, Piano Pedagogy, Collaborative Piano, Aural Skills, Music Theory
Degrees
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Piano, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
- Master of Music in Piano Performance, Peabody Institute, Baltimore, MD
- Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, Manhattan School of Music, NYC
Courses Taught
- Designed for study of the piano as secondary instrument, the course includes acquaintance with the keyboard, scales, chords, sight reading, transposition and elementary piano repertoire.
- Designed for study of the piano as secondary instrument, the course includes acquaintance with the keyboard, scales, chords, sight reading, transposition and elementary piano repertoire.
Pre-Requisite: MUS105 and MUS140 or DEPT. PERMIT - This course is the first level of aural skills. Students will develop skills in sight-singing as well as rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic dictation.
Prerequisite: MUS 105 or MUS 123 - This course is the first level of keyboard workshop. Students will develop piano keyboard skills through technical exercises, harmonization exercises, scales and arpeggios, harmonic progressions, sight-reading, transposition, improvisation, score-reading, accompanying, and keyboard ensemble work.
Prerequisite: MUS 105 or MUS 123 - This course is the second level of keyboard workshop. Students will develop piano keyboard skills through technical exercises, harmonization exercises, scales and arpeggios, harmonic progressions, sight-reading, transposition, improvisation, score-reading, accompanying, and keyboard ensemble work.
Prerequisite: Entrance is by placement exam, or successful completion of MUS 119 with a grade of C or higher, or by permission of the department - This course is the first level of a four-semester sequence in piano performance skills. The course will focus on the technical and artistic development of students through assigned exercises and piano repertoire. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department and admission is by audition
Corequisite: MUS 165, MUS 166, MUS 167, MUS 168, MUS 265, MUS 266, MUS 267, MUS 268 or departmental permission - This course is the second level of a four-semester sequence in piano performance skills. The course will focus on the technical and artistic development of students through assigned exercises and piano repertoire. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 656
Corequisite: MUS 165, MUS 166, MUS 167, MUS 168, MUS 265, MUS 266, MUS 267, MUS 268 or departmental permission - This course is the third level of a four-semester sequence in piano performance skills. The course will focus on the technical and artistic development of students through assigned exercises and piano repertoire. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 657
Corequisite: MUS 165, MUS 166, MUS 167, MUS 168, MUS 265, MUS 266, MUS 267, MUS 268 or departmental permission - This course is the fourth level of a four-semester sequence in piano performance skills. The course will focus on the technical and artistic development of students through assigned exercises and piano repertoire. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 658
Corequisite: MUS 165, MUS 166, MUS 167, MUS 168, MUS 265, MUS 266, MUS 267, MUS 268 or departmental permission - Principles of Music is an introductory course in which musical elements, structures and styles are studied. Development of analytic abilities will be emphasized through consideration of major musical works by diverse composers from different eras of the Western Classical tradition. A wide variety of types and forms of music literature will be studied, including symphony, concerto, song, opera, etc. Students will attend a live musical performance. Credit will be granted for MUS 102 or MUS 103, but not both.
- This course will introduce beginning keyboard skills, reading and writing music in western musical notation, lead sheet symbols, basic music theory, and simple musical composition. Elements of rhythm and rhythmic notation will be approached through popular musical examples.
Research and Projects
- Lecture recital on “Promoting Equity in Concert Programming: Piano Solo Works by Asian Female Composers” at National Conference Piano Pedagogy, Lombard, IL, July 26, 2019.
- Lecture Recital on “Piano Music of Fanny Mendelssohn” at Music by Women Festival in Mississippi University for Women, MS, March 2, 2018.
- Presentation on “An interdisciplinary approach to teaching music appreciation” at Northeast College Music Society Conference, University of Delaware, DE, March 24, 2018.
- Lecture Recital on “Embracing Diversity: Multicultural Piano Repertoire for Developing Pianists” at Music by Northeast College Music Society Conference, SUNY Plattsburgh, March 18, 2017
Publications
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- Cycle 50 PSC‐CUNY Research Award, Traditional A, 2019-2020
- Faculty Fellowship Publication Program Award (FFPP), 2018-2019
- Lillian Fuchs Memorial Chamber Music Competition
- Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition
Additional Information
website: amberliao.com
