Everyone has their own story of how they sat down at a piano for the first time. For Bruce Liu, it was a hyperactive inclination that brought him in front of the keys. Less than 15 years later, he had the gold medal of the 2021 Chopin Competition in Warsaw hanging around his neck. Now he has a DG contract, and a new album of French music, spanning Rameau to Ravel, with its own story to tell.
Born in Paris to Chinese parents, Liu grew up in Montreal, capital of Quebec in Canada. This transcontinental heritage – part Asian, part European, part American – is reflected in his easy manner over a Zoom call from his home. He still lives in Montreal, even if making a new home in Europe would oil the wheels of his career.
Liu practises on a Steinway at home but still goes into the Montreal Conservatory where he was a student: ‘It can be hard to practise at home. You’re in your
