Pianist Bruce Liu Replaces Violinist Hilary Hahn in Performances With Rafael Payare and the SF Symphony

Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, joins conduct Rafael Payare and the San Francisco Symphony to perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, May 11-13, replacing violinist Hilary Hahn in these performances. Hahn, who was scheduled to play Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto, is unwell and regretfully unable to perform on this week's program.

Liu's performances, which mark his San Francisco Symphony Orchestral Series debut, come a week before his nearly sold-out New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall on May 19.

Patrons who already purchased tickets for the May 11-13 concerts do not need to do anything; tickets and seat location will be honored. For assistance with tickets, contact the Box Office by phone at 415.864.6000, email at patronservices@sfsymphony.org, or in person at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office, on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street in San Francisco.

Since winning First Prize at the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2021, Bruce Liu has toured the world, appearing at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Vienna Konzerthaus, BOZAR Brussels, Tokyo Opera City, and Sala São Paulo. Orchestral appearances also include the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the 2022-23 season, Liu's orchestral appearances include performances with the Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Vienna Symphony at the Musikverein, and he has upcoming engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. His festival appearances include la Roque d'Anthéron, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Rheingau, Edinburgh, Chopin and His Europe, Duszniki, and Gstaad Menuhin. Past highlights include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and a tour of North America with the China NCPA Orchestra.

An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Liu's first album, featuring the winning performances from the Chopin Competition, won a Fryderyk Award and received international acclaim including both the Critics' Choice and Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine, which proclaimed his debut disc as "simply as one of the most distinguished Chopin recitals of recent years." They also included it in the list of Best Classical Albums of 2021 and described Mr. Liu's playing as "evoking Shura Cherkassky and Georges Cziffra in a single breath."

Born in Paris to Chinese parents, Bruce Liu grew up in Montreal. His life has been steeped in cultural diversity, which has shaped his differences in attitude, personality, and character. He draws on various sources of inspiration for his art: European refinement, Chinese long tradition, North American dynamism, and openness. Following his artistic path with optimism and a smile, his teachers include Richard Raymond and Dang Thai Son.

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