Liu Shueh-Shuan

Who is Liu Shueh-Shuan?

Liu Shueh-Shuan is a Taiwanese composer. He has written works for the Erhu, and his music combines elements of traditional and modern cultures in eclectic musical styles. His recent composition, “Gui-Ze”, was awarded the Gold Medal in the Council for Cultural Affairs 2003 Traditional Music Composition Contest; meanwhile, his “Second Erhu Concerto” awarded the Silver Medal, and “Busia 1930” won him the Bronze Medal in the 2002 Contest.

Liu’s works include “Painting of Li Mei-Shu – for Orchestral suite” and “Stone-Lion of San-Shia-Zu-Shi Temple – for Orchestra”. In Paris, the National Chinese Orchestra premiered Liu’s “Mulakuna”, a piece innovatively composed through morse code, with a creative combination of eastern and western instruments to highlight the destruction and impact brought by civilization. The audience responded with a standing ovation.

Upon invitation by The National Chinese Orchestra under the Ministry of Education, Liu composed “Song of the Tsou Tribe” based on Taiwanese aboriginal folk music and toured throughout Europe. At the end of 2000, he was invited to write “The Wish” for the “New Century Concert”. The piece depicts the mixture of anxiety and pleasure with the advent of the New Year, reflected by the 300 audience attendees singing out the optimism and spirit of the Taiwanese people. In addition, his “First Erhu Concerto”, composed for the International Erhu Competition, is highly acclaimed by Erhu players due to its adoption of groundbreaking Erhu techniques and original musical language. Other accomplishments range from his participation in the Golden Melody winning children’s album “Red Dragonfly” and “Firebug”, to the commission of Taipei’s Lantern Festival’s musical themes of 2001 and 2002.