Kuok-Wai Lio 廖國瑋, piano
https://www.liokuokwai.com/

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, pianist Lio Kuok-Wai is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant administered by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Career Advancement Award given by the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, and a Scholarship award by the Feltsman Piano Foundation.

Praised by the Vancouver Sun as a "musician's musician,” for his "sensitive playing" by The New York Times, and his “hypnotic” effect by The Boston Musical Intelligencer, the Macau-born pianist is active as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. He has performed at venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Tonhalle Zürich, Herkulessaal in Munich, Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Daiichi Semei Hall in Tokyo. He has given recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Gilmore Rising Stars, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Amelia Island Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, Kissinger Sommer, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts in Boston. Kuok-Wai was chosen to step in for the legendary pianist, Radu Lupu, for a recital in Town Hall, New York to critical acclaim.

Kuok-Wai is currently a student of Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University. He has studied under Gabriel Kwok, Gary Graffman, Claude Frank, Peter Frankl, Boris Berman, Jack Winerock, among others. He was invited by Sir András Schiff to take part in many of his masterclasses in Europe and by Leon Fleisher to attend a mentorship program at Caramoor Rising Stars in upstate New York.

A frequent participant in the Marlboro Music Festival and Marlboro on Tour, Kuok-Wai has performed with musicians such as Kim Kashkashian, Pamela Frank, Harvey de Souza, Cho-Liang Lin, Christoph Richter, Hsin-Yun Huang, and the Shanghai Quartet, among others. At an anniversary celebration of Sándor Végh, founding member of the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, Kuok-Wai was chosen to take part in masterclasses and concerts at Wigmore Hall in London and the Salzburg Festival. He has also performed at the Schubertiade curated by Vancouver Recital Society alongside pianists Jonathan Biss and Inon Barnatan.

As a concerto soloist, Kuok-Wai has performed with orchestras that include the China Philharmonic, Macau Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra and conductors Li Xin-Cao, Edo de Waart, Francois Xavier-Roth, and Michael Stern.

A top prize winner in the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Competition, Fulbright Concerto Competition, Chopin International Piano Competition in Asia, International Institute for Young Musicians Piano Competition, Ettlingen International Piano Competition, Steinway & Sons International Piano Competition, Kuok-Wai received an Honourific Title of Merit given by the Chief Executive of Macau. He has also performed for Hu Jin-Tao, then President of the People’s Republic of China; the late Stanley Ho; Tung Chee-Wha, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong; and Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent.

Apart from music, Kuok-Wai enjoys reading, taking walks in nature, traveling, going to museums, playing with pets, and cooking for friends. His interests include art, literature, poetry, psychology, philosophy, theology, history and languages. He speaks English, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, and is working on Hebrew.

Lio Kuok-Wai was featured in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2023.

被溫哥華太陽報譽為"音樂家中的音樂家",更被紐約時報評論他的演奏為細膩纖細。廖國瑋,一位出生於澳門的鋼琴家,活躍於世界的舞台上的鋼琴獨奏家以及室內樂音樂家。 2014年1月,他代抱恙的拉杜·魯普出演了在紐約市政大廳舉行的人民交響音樂會,而後受到轟動好評。

近期亮相於包括聖達菲(Santa Fe)、拉維尼亞(Ravinia)、普魯士港(Prussia Cove)、馬爾博樂(Marlboro)、卡拉穆爾(Caramoor)、魯爾(Klavierfestival Ruhr)、基辛根之夏(Kissinger Sommer)和香港藝術音樂節。廖國瑋在溫哥華演奏協會(Vancouver Recital Society)、舊金山演奏系列(San Francisco Performances)、吉爾摩新星系列(Gilmore Rising Stars Series)、菲利普洛倫茲追憶鍵盤系列音樂會(Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts)以及費城室內樂協會上均有舉辦獨奏音樂會。他曾在卡內基音樂廳的威爾音樂廳(Weill Recital Hall)、蘇黎世音樂廳管弦樂團(Tonhalle Zürich)和位於慕尼黑的赫拉克勒斯演奏廳(Herkulessaal)等會場進行演出。作為協奏曲獨奏家,他曾與澳門管弦樂團,香港管弦樂團,香港小交響樂團,中國愛樂樂團,廣州交響樂團,汎亞交響樂團,堪薩斯城交響樂團,大急流城交響樂團,加州交響樂團,休斯頓交響樂團,俄羅斯交響樂團和薩爾茨堡室內樂團合作。

國偉是第六屆亞洲國際肖邦鋼琴比賽(東京)、第五屆國際柴可夫斯基青年音樂家比賽(日本)、艾特靈根(Ettlingen)青年鋼琴家國際比賽(德國)、第三屆青年鋼琴家國際比賽(德國)、第65屆施坦威國際青年鋼琴比賽(北京)、2005年吉娜巴考爾(Gina Bachauer)國際青年藝術家比賽(美國)和2007年國際富布賴特協奏曲比賽(美國)的獲獎者。 2004年1月,他獲得澳門特區行政長官頒發的表彰獎。國瑋是林肯表演藝術中心頒發的富有盛譽的2013年度艾弗里費舍爾職業獎學金獲得者。