Website: Home: Ming-Jui Liu, Guitarist
“Ming’s appeal as a musician stems from a world-class technique coupled with the sensitivity and musicality of an artist who delves deeply into the style and interpretive aspects of music.”
- American guitarist Jerry Willard
劉明睿 Ming-Jui Liu
Taiwanese Guitarist, Composer, and Arranger
Ming-Jui Liu is a Taiwanese guitarist and composer whose work spans performance, composition, and pedagogy. His performances and compositions have been featured in Taiwan, the United States, and internationally across South America, Europe, and Asia.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Liu has appeared at major festivals and institutions. Notable engagements include a solo recital at the I Seminário Internacional de Violão do IFCE in Brazil (2016), a duo recital with Arvo Duo at the 25th Long Island Guitar Festival (2017), and appointments as festival artist and judge at the 4th Qinling International Guitar Festival (2018). He has presented scholarly and artistic lectures at international venues, including The Art of Transcribing Music at the Résonance Guitar Music Festival (2023) and Bridging Cultures: Chamber Music for Flute and Guitar at the San Diego Flute Guild Spring Festival (2025). He also offered a masterclass at Hunter College (New York) in 2021.
Liu’s compositions—including The Magic Hour, Summer Nights of Formosa, and Springtime on the Muzha Line—are published by Doberman-Yppan (Canada). His work Mirror of the Sunshine, Op. 3 received Third Place in The American Prize in Composition – Instrumental Chamber Music. In 2022, he was commissioned by the Guitar Foundation of America to compose The Rainy Ketagalan Harbor. In 2025, he was commissioned by the Taiwan Guitar Society to compose the official set piece for the final round of the Taiwan Guitar Competition: Fantasy 1962: Salix kusanoi in Ueno Park. His original works and arrangements have been performed by internationally recognized artists including Adam Holzman, Connie Sheu, Katerina Chatzinikolau, Sacha de Ritis, Roberto Di Stanislao, Koh Kazama, and Way Lee. Liu currently serves as Composer-in-Residence for the Taipei Guitar Ensemble.
Liu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Classical Guitar Performance from Stony Brook University, where he studied with Jerry Willard. During his years in New York, he also pursued private studies with Kevin Gallagher and furthered his training in harmony, composition, and orchestration with Wen-Chuan Hu, João Luiz Rezende Lopes, and Howie Kenty.
As an educator, Liu has taught students of diverse ages and levels and has held instructional roles at Purchase College and Stony Brook University, where he also served as a chamber music coach. From Fall 2020 to Summer 2022, he was Adjunct Associate Professor at the Conservatory of Music at Huanggang Normal University.
Liu’s album Nostalgia: Original Compositions & Arrangements I is available on Apple iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and other major platforms. His artistic work centers on musical depictions of place, memory, and cultural identity, drawing inspiration from Taiwanese landscapes and narratives while engaging performers and audiences in reflection across cultural borders.
Published works:
Arrangements and Transcriptions:
Compositions:
Unpublished works include transcriptions and arrangements by Bach, Pärt, Piazzolla, Ryden, Scarlatti, Schubert, Villa-Lobos
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Dear friends in the vast music world:
I will try my best to share my passion for music, in the hope that these works will inspire as many people as possible. If you would like to support my projects, please consider donating via my Zelle/PayPal at: b94302340@ntu.edu.tw
I would be most appreciative. Thank you.
