劉孟捷 Meng-Chieh LIU

出生於高雄的鋼琴家劉孟捷，曾於1993年以寇蒂斯音樂學院學生之姿，代替鋼琴大師安德烈．瓦茲於費城音樂廳演出，贏得高度讚賞。蒸蒸日上演奏事業，雖被一場突如其來的罕見疾病中斷，他憑著堅毅的決心，在嚴酷的物理治療後奇蹟似的恢復健康，繼續活躍在演奏舞台上。浴火重生之後，除了以獨奏家的姿態演出，亦與克里斯托夫．艾森巴赫、古斯塔夫．杜達美、艾倫．吉伯特等知名指揮合作，且於2002年於獲頒艾維理費雪職業大賞及費城音樂基金會職業成就獎；2008年也獲選為中華民國第四十六屆十大傑出青年，肯定他在音樂藝術上的成就。演出行腳遍及美國各大城市、台、港、日、韓、中、英、法、西、紐、澳等地。

劉孟捷在演奏事業上，設立了許多新的目標，期許自己能為莘莘學子與觀眾們留下一些紀錄與想法。除了曾完整演出舒伯特鋼琴奏鳴曲外，也演出布拉姆斯全系列鋼琴獨奏作品；2014年一月時也和臺北市立交響樂團錄製了貝多芬第四號與第五號鋼琴協奏曲，於臺灣發行。2021年劉孟捷有機會回到臺灣與國家交響樂團(NSO)合作演出；並於高雄衛武營舉行"巡禮之年"獨奏會。2022年由Decca發行劉孟捷–蕭邦：夜曲全輯，此專輯於2023榮獲臺灣傳藝金曲獎最佳演奏獎獎項。

劉孟捷的才能與對音樂的熱情不僅展現在他豐富的演奏當中，並延伸於教學裡。近年來，他的學生在世界重大的鋼琴比賽中都獲得相當好的成績，如2020年柴可夫斯基鋼琴大賽第四名的安天旭，及2021年蕭邦鋼琴大賽第四名的小林愛實(Aimi Kobayashi)。

自1993年開始任教於寇蒂斯音樂院，2006年受邀至芝加哥羅斯福大學擔任鋼琴教授，並在2014年秋天加入新英格蘭音樂學院的師資陣容。

A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Meng-Chieh Liu first made headlines in 1993 as a 21-year-old student at The Curtis Institute of Music when he substituted at last minute's notice for André Watts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The concert earned high acclaim from critics and audience alike, and was followed by a number of widely praised performances, including a recital at the Kennedy Center and a concert on the Philadelphia All-Star Series. Already an accomplished artist at the time, Mr. Liu had made his New York orchestral debut two years earlier.

Following Mr. Liu's triumph in Philadelphia, an appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra was immediately scheduled, but it was not to be. The stellar beginning of his career was abruptly halted by a rare and debilitating illness that affected his connective tissues. Hospitalized and almost immobile for a year, doctors believed his chances for survival were slim and, should he survive, playing the piano would be "absolutely impossible."

With arduous determination and relentless physical therapy, Mr. Liu has been restored to full health and is now once again performing on the concert stage. Since then, he has performed throughout the world in recitals and as a soloist with orchestras under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Dudamel and Alan Gilbert. In 2002, Liu received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award. A sought-after musician and strong advocate of chamber music, Liu performs in music festivals across the globe and has worked with renowned  musicians Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Soyer, Bernard Greenhouse, James Buswell, Wendy Warner, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein as well as the Borromeo and St. Lawrence Quartets. Liu also collaborates with artists in varied disciplines, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project, among other dance companies.  His concerts have been heard over the airwaves around the world, and a biography on his life was broadcast on Taiwanese National Television.

Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Meng-Chieh Liu began his piano studies early, and at age thirteen was accepted by The Curtis Institute of Music to study with Jorge Bolet, Claude Frank, Gary Graffman and Eleanor Sokoloff, and received first prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific and Mieczyslaw Munz piano competitions. His reputation as a teacher/mentor has brought him across the globe in summer festivals, masterclasses, and lecture recitals. Since 1993, Liu served on the piano and chamber music faculties at The Curtis Institute of Music,  and since 2013 added the New England Conservatory to his itinerary. He is in high demand as a mentor, sought out by young pianists the world over. Recently his students have been finalists of major competitions, including Aimi Kobayshi in Chopin Competition, and Tianxu An in the Tchaikovsky Competition.

He served as a faculty member of Roosevelt University in Chicago from 2006-2014. During this time Liu joined Chicago Chamber Musicians and served as Artistic Director of the ensemble from 2011-2014. While artistic director, he championed the works and worked closely with many composers including John Corigliano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gabriella Lena Frank, Steven Mackey, Paquito D’Rivera, and Lowell Liebermann.

Liu is known for his versatility, performing music from Scarlatti and Bach to Szymanowski, Messiaen and composers of our times, including Zhou Tian and David Ludwig. In recent years, he embarked on several immersive projects, performing the complete piano music by Johannes Brahms and complete piano sonatas by Franz Schubert.  

In 2011, Liu experienced another medical setback requiring open heart surgery. Once again the predictions of medical doctors were grim. He pursued many courses of treatment both modern and traditional. Despite the debilitating effects, he still managed to keep up his concert activities and wouldn’t reduce his artistic output. Liu has taken on new challenges, both in recital and in concerto programs and has focused his energy more and more on making recordings. His most recent album of Chopin’s complete nocturnes has been released on Decca this past January.