Steven Liu (Bass) is the Program Director for the El Sistema Lehigh Valley, a new education initiative of the Allentown Symphony Association, which provides underserved and special need youth with exceptional academic and artistic instruction within a nurturing environment, at no cost, thereby empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education, and strengthen their communities. This program is currently working with students from Roosevelt Elementary School, of the Allentown School District, and is providing approximately 320 additional hours of music instruction each year.

 

Steven was fortunate enough to receive specialized training at New England Conservatory, as one of ten Abreu Fellows selected for the second year of the Fellowship. The Abreu Fellows program provides an in-depth understanding of the philosophy of El Sistema, pedagogical approaches, organizational operations and creation, partnership formation, fundraising, and are given a significant amount of time to see El Sistema in Venezuela and similarly inspired programs in the United States. 

 

Prior to the fellowship, Steven received a M.F.A. in Jazz (’06) and a Bachelors degree in Music Performance: Classical Double Bass (’03) from The Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California, Irvine. During his time at UC Irvine he has had the opportunity to study bass and composition under the expert tutelage of David Young, Doug Bayse, Darek Oleszkiewicz, and Kei Akagi. Steven has also participated in numerous master classes, chamber music festivals, and orchestral music festivals such as Idyllwild, The Golden Gate Bass Festival, Bass Days, and Ameropa (a Czech music festival) where he has been able to perform, participate in master classes, study, and receive training from highly esteemed bassists such as: Ray Brown, Christian McBride, John Clayton, Trevor Ware, Luther Hughes, David Moore, Dennis Trembly, Jiri Valenta, Charlie DeRamus, Francis Singer, David Black, Paul Ellison, George Vance, and Francios Rabbath.

 

Prior to his experience with the Abreu Fellowship and as a Program Director, Steven has extensive educational experiences, which range from teaching at a collegiate level to teaching Kindergarten classes to teaching privately. As a teaching artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Education Department, Steven traveled to various schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District to aid in young musicians’ development in addition to teaching for the Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles program of the LA Philharmonic. He is also a former Artist in Residence for the Orchestras of Pasadena, where he led a series of classes called, “The Science of Sound.” These classes taught students about music using non-traditional methods, i.e., students make instruments out of common household items and conduct experiments to learn about sound and music.

 

Currently working as a freelance musician in southeast Pennsylvania, Steven Liu has played and subbed with numerous orchestras in Southern California including: San Bernardino Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Corona Symphony, and Riverside Lyric Opera. He has also performed with collegiate and community orchestras such as: Azusa Pacific University, CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, La Primavera, Novo Philharmonic, South Coast Symphony, Santa Ana Symphony, UC Irvine, South Orange County Chamber Orchestra, Vanguard University, and YMF’s Debut. 

 

A musician with a broad musical tastes, Steven is interested in a variety of musical endeavors, and has led and performed with several ensembles that have entertained numerous audience, such as the current and former Chancellors of UC Irvine, UC Regents, The Beall Art Center, Capital One, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Gateway Computers, Jazz Semiconductor, Seraphim Inc., The Balboa Philharmonic Society, Vista Del Campo’s Hurricane Katrina Relief Concert, UC Irvine Special Events, etc. These interests have also provided him with a multitude of experiences with pit orchestras for numerous operas and musicals, e.g., Carmen, Cossi Fan Tutti, La Triviata, Victor/Victoria, Suessical, Caberet, Reefer Madness, Footloose, Into The Woods, and has worked on several recording projects including The Novo Philharmonic, Gettin’ It, and Berzerker.