Yifan Liu

In 1980, he won the "J. Nawrocka Award - Special Award for Scherzo Performance" at the 10th Polish International Chopin Piano Competition, becoming the first Chinese musician to win an award in an international music competition after the Cultural Revolution. His performance of Chopin's Scherzo in B minor, Op.20, was selected as a Christmas gift by the Polish National Broadcasting Commission and broadcast nationwide on Christmas Eve. Poland's "Republican" wrote: "Liu's name deserves to be remembered by Poles forever." At the 36th Polish International Chopin Music Festival, his solo concert was broadcast live by the Polish National Radio, causing intense reactions and sensation. The famous Polish music critic Jan Bobis wrote: "(He) reminds me of Zimmermann - playing is second nature to him, full of youthful spontaneity and beautiful clarity. He has amazing intuition." His playing makes one think he grew up on the plains of Mazovia. A great genius!"

Liu Yifan won first place in the first China Piano Competition in 1983 in Beijing. Won second place in the first "Pearl River Cup" National Youth Piano Invitational Competition in Guangzhou in 1983. In 1989 he won the gold medal at the 49th Lerner Wideman International Piano Competition, the oldest in the United States.

Liu Yifan has performed in many cities and countries. Including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guiyang and Yinchuan as well as Moscow, Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Dushniki, Tokyo, Glasgow, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. His performances received widespread critical acclaim and accolades. The critic of the American "LA Times" believes that he "shows superb control in musical feeling, performance skills and work style." The American "Jackson Bugle" wrote: "His playing is endlessly changing, and its smoothness and strength, poetry and clarity are dazzling. This shows his superb skills full of youthful vitality." Chinese critics believe that "he is He is a well-deserved representative of the new generation of Chinese pianists."

Liu Yifan also devoted great enthusiasm to piano performance education. Due to the careful craftsmanship and serious dedication of him and his wife, Teacher Jiang Yang, they have trained a large number of outstanding young pianists in Dallas, USA, for more than 30 years, and have achieved excellent results in many important piano competitions in the United States. At the same time, they have also collaborated with Many symphony orchestras performed with great success.

​

These include: Grand Prize in the Reynolds International Young Artist Competition, Grand Prize in the Texas Symphony Alliance Juanita Miller Concerto Competition, Grand Prize in the Louisiana State Philharmonic's Annual Young Artist Concerto Competition, Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition Grand Prize, Fort Worth Symphony Young Artist Competition Grand Prize, 2013-14 National Association of Music Teachers Piano Competition Junior Division, First Place in the South Central Region and National Finals Junior Division, Third Place, 2015-16 National Association of Music Teachers Dual Piano Competition First place in the Central and South District of the Youth Group.

The Dallas Times of the United States wrote: "His talent, dedication and work inspire all students and parents. He selflessly uses his experience to guide and influence the hearts of students, which has a noble status in our music world. Value." These remarkable achievements and stories of Liu Yifan have been reported and introduced in the American NBC documentary "In Praise of Life".

In 2016 and 2017, Liu Yifan was invited to participate in the judging of the 9th China Ningxia Oumler International Piano Art Festival and the 25th American Music Open China Selection Competition and give master classes in Yinchuan. In July this year, he just participated in the 26th American Music Open China Selection held in Hangzhou, performed and taught music activities such as the Shangyin Piano Alumni Association and the "National Piano Teaching Method Seminar".