We recently connected with Yun Liu and have shared our conversation below.
Yun, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am really happy being a musician and being able to build and follow my own schedule. Although I have been studying music either part time or full time since very young, I would have never imagined a life and career like this when I was still in school. Back then, people often perceived such lifestyle as insecure and less successful than a life with a regular job, and I always thought the best thing for me after getting my degrees was to become a faculty in a school. After my husband finished his PhD and started working in the industry, I realized that financially I didn’t need a regular job for us to become a dual-career family, but I would rather spend more time with family. By choosing not to have a regular job, in addition to taking care of everything at home, it actually provided me more time thinking about what I want to do on my own pace and putting the thoughts into actions. I had more time practicing my skills, rehearsing and performing with others, as well as teaching private classes on my own schedule. Now I have the freedom to enjoy the work as a musician, but still find plenty of time for family and taking care of our baby girl. I am really grateful for the choice I made I will never go back to a regular job.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Guzheng musician, a vocal soloist, and an accompanying pianist. Guzheng is one of the most iconic traditional Chinese stringed instruments. I currently serve as a musician and President Assistant at the Houston Chinese Traditional Music Group. After completing my undergraduate study in music education in China, I came to the U.S. for graduate school, and received Master of Music degree in musicology from the University of Oklahoma in 2015. I am specialized in traditional Guzheng performance, traditional Chinese folk song singing, piano accompaniment coach, and traditional Chinese music orchestration.
Since moving to the U.S., I have devoted my passion in bringing traditional Chinese music to the forefront of American culture. In addition to performing, I offer private classes for Guzheng, vocal singing, piano, and music theory. Over the years, I have coached many award-wining students, several of whom have been admitted to music schools. I have been featured in several articles, concerts, and TV shows internationally, including China Culture, Chinese Music, China News Service, Phoenix Television, SinoVision, Voyage Houston, and Xinhua Net.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
To me, I think people having an open mind for new things is certainly very important, but what’s more important for a sustainable future is to give our next generations the freedom, and hopefully encourage them, to feel and appreciate the artists and creatives. They are in a generation of instant, dynamic, and boundless communication. Having our voice reaching the next generation, and having them inspiring our work, is the only way that we artists and creatives can thrive in today’s fast-paced society.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I really enjoy the moment I hear from my audiences that my performance brings something new to them. Performing on the stage with all eyes on you certainly comes with a lot of pressure. But once coming off the stage and talking with audiences that I had never met before, I often learned that my performance was their first time experiencing traditional Chinese music in a live concert, and how they thought it was beautiful. Although it may be just another performance for me, it might have opened a new door for them to learn a different culture. It’s such a rewarding experience for me, and I am ever grateful for having such opportunities to share the music with our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yunliumusic.com/
- Other: Houston Chinese Traditional Music Group http://hctmg.org/