Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Guannan Alice Liu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Guannan Alice thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Even though I started learning the piano at the age of four, I did not fall in love with the instrument until my first piano lesson with Dr. Jeanie Chung. I still vividly remember that lesson to this day.

We were working on Beethoven’s “Pathetique” Sonata. For our entire lesson, we focused on how to play just the first chord—a C-minor chord marked with “fp” (forte-piano). It is common knowledge that once you play a note on the piano, there is little to be done about it afterward. So how could one achieve a forte that is immediately followed by a softer dynamic?
Dr. Chung showed me what seemed like magic: playing the note and then lifting halfway, with the pedal lifted halfway as well. This technique is mind-blowing because it dropped the dynamic without completely losing the sound. Before this lesson, I had never thought about piano playing and music in such a nuanced way. It was definitely a “WHOAAAA” moment for me.

That lesson opened my eyes to a whole new fascinating world of musical expression. It made me feel incredibly alive, and afterward, I knew I wanted to learn everything I could about it and build my career around this art form.

That transformative lesson occurred in 2014, and eleven years later, I remain deeply fulfilled by the career choice I made. I had a lot more “WHOAAAA” moments, and it became even more fulfilling when I started seeing my students’ eyes lit up and go “WHOAAAA you can do THAT?!” It always made me giggle. The journey that began with a single chord continues to resonate through every aspect of my musical life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I see myself as a musician with three identities: a performer who brings centuries-old masterpieces to life, a teacher who ignites the spark in future generations, and a piano technician who maintains and appreciates the mechanical aspect of the instrument.

My identity as a performer was sculpted during my years at school. I earned my Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under the guidance of Dr. Sylvia Wang. During my time at Northwestern, I have won several awards, including the Illinois MTNA Competition “Young Artist Performance,” the Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition. I was privileged to have the opportunity to perform the Poulenc Piano Concerto with the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maestro Robert G. Hasty. My performance of Schumann was featured in the WTTW documentary “Chicago by ‘L'” with Jeoffrey Baer.

I continued my studies at the Mannes School of Music of the New School, where I earned both Master’s of Music degree and Performance Diploma in Piano Performance while studying with Professor J.Y. Song and Ann Schein. My years at Mannes has been transformative. I have performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Steinway Hall, the German Consulate of New York, the Old Stone House in Brooklyn, and Klavierhaus in Manhattan. My performance of Debussy and Leschetizky was featured on New York’s Classical Music Radio Station WQXR.

During my time at Mannes, my newfound passion for fortepiano performance led me to the Academy of Fortepiano Performance, where I studied with celebrated historical keyboard performers including Pierre Goy, Dr. Yi-heng Yang, Dr. Audrey Axinn, and John Mortensen.

I first embraced my identity as a teacher in 2020 when I took a gap year due to the pandemic. Since then, I have cultivated a thriving studio of students from New York, Chicago, and California, both in-person and online. It has been truly rewarding to work with each and everyone of them, and to celebrate their musical growth during the bi-annual student recitals every April and November.

My fascination with the piano extends beyond performance and teaching to its mechanical aspects. I completed the piano technician course at the New York School of Piano Tuning under Louis Tasciotti, the head piano technician of the New School. I was proud to serve as the school’s first Assistant Student Piano Technician, handling tuning and maintenance for the school’s pianos.

Starting September 2025, I will be pursuing my Doctorate of Music Arts degree in Piano Performance at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts with Professor Vladimir Valjarevic. My musical journey continues to bring me fulfillment and inspiration every day, as I explore the many dimensions of classical music through piano performance, piano education, and piano technology.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My journey with piano has not always been rainbows and unicorns. In fact, there have been a lot of challenges and struggles that I had to overcome. One of my biggest challenges occured when I first moved to New York.

After five years in Chicago, I was comfortable. Then came the pandemic’s isolation, followed by my move to New York, a city that seems to be only for the best. To me, I am most definitely not one of the best. The anxiety becomes so overwhelming that even piano practice has become impossible. I would dissolve into tears after playing just one note. I thought New York would break me.

The thought of abandoning piano entirely visited me daily – a very tempting escape from the pain and the suffering. However, there is also a quiet voice beneath the doubt: Do not give up what you love just because it is difficult. I resumed practicing slowly. I started with 5 minutes, then slowly turned into 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes. The breakthrough was neither dramatic nor pleasant- no sudden breakthroughs, no flowers, and certainly no standing ovation. It was waking up every morning and trying to practice. I would play until I could not. Then after I take a break, I would try again. And repeat. It took me months to fully recover.

My recovery revealed two things: my love for piano is stronger than my anxiety and fear, and my resilience was stronger than I previously had known. New York had turned me into a stronger and more resilient musician.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As pianists, we are often sentenced to solitary confinement in windowless practice rooms, haunted by Liszt’s impossible runs, Bach’s relentless fugues, and end-less self-criticisms. “Let me try again. That was not good enough. Hmm.. why does it sound so bad. Maybe I am not cut out for this. $&%^!” “Alas! If only we have 40 hours to practice in a day!” Though I acknowledge the importance of disciplined practicing and the necessity of critical reflection, experience has taught me a humbling truth: musical growth does not follow a simple equation where more hours and harsher self-judgment yield proportionally greater results. This counter-intuitive fact — perhaps the most valuable lesson of my journey—required unlearning the very mindset that first propelled me forward.

The revelation came after I have spent many hours in practice rooms that frequently led to frustration and emotional outbursts, yet little outcomes. My professor then guided me with a shift in focus: quality of practice time over the sheer focus on quantity.

The transformation can be divided into several steps. I started replacing mindless repetition with strategic problem-solving. Each challenge, whether it pertains to technique or musicality, becomes a puzzle that can be solved through analysis and problem-solving. I then developed a new response to mistakes and areas that can be improved. Instead of immediate frustration, I ask myself three questions: What precisely caused this error? What specific correction is needed? Which practice method might best address it? Finally, I incorporated mindfulness—recognizing when frustration signaled the need for a break or simply a deep breath to reset my focus. After all the work is done, I will then use repetition to solidify the change that I have made.

This systematic approach dramatically improved my practicing efficiency, breaking the cycle of long practice hours without much result. This shift in approach to practice showed me that most valuable progress came not from additional time, but from bringing greater intelligence to the time I already had.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pianoaliceliu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliceliu.piano?igsh=cGQ4amJzdTRrejNi&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guannan-liu-963440162
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aliceliu1810

Image Credits
Carnegie Hall photos by Nathaniel Johnston Photography