Jacky Jiaqi Liu (b. 2002) is a multi-award-winning Chinese composer based in New York City. Recognized for his poetic, diverse, and dramatic expression, Liu writes music that reflects universal values such as compassion, belonging, and love, inspired by philosophical and literary influences. As a recipient of the Frederick Loewe Scholarship in Composition at The Juilliard School, Liu earned his BM in Composition under Melinda Wagner and will pursue his MM in Composition with John Corigliano.
A recipient of the 2026 John Adams Award of the BMI Composer Awards, Liu is also a two-time winner of the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2023, 2026) and the Arthur Friedman Prize from the Juilliard Orchestra Competition (2024, 2026). Other accolades include the 2024 Charles Ives Award in Chamber Music from the American Prize and the 2023 Juilliard Gena Raps String Quartet Prize, among others.
Liu’s compositions have been performed across the U.S., Europe, South Korea, Japan, and China, with recent highlights including the world premieres of his “View in Spring” with Grammy®-winning conductor Lucas Richman and members of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra in 2022, the 2024 premiere of his string quartet “Heart! We Will Forget Him!” at Lincoln Center, and the 2024 premiere of his first orchestral work “Crossing” with conductor Jeffrey Milarsky and the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center. In October 2024, Liu was invited as a featured composer for the musicON Festival, where his chamber music work was performed at the America’s National Opera Center in New York. In 2025, his piano-vocal work was featured in the SOLI Chamber Ensemble’s national tour. In 2026, he collaborated again with Jeffrey Milarsky and the Juilliard Orchestra on the premiere of his second orchestral work “Echoes of Impermanence” at Lincoln Center in New York.
As a passionate educator, Liu has served as a faculty member at the Long Island Music Conservatory and as a judge for the 11th Annual Youth Music Composition Competition in 2024.
About
My Artistic Vision
"As a composer, my poetic, diverse, and dramatic musical language draws from a wide range of musical influences. These include the lyrical expressions of traditional Chinese folk songs, the sonic textures of Impressionism, the manipulation of complex rhythmic patterns found in pop and contemporary music, and the relentless physical power evoked by Minimalism.
My inspiration comes from the large and serious themes: life philosophy, human emotions, cultural memory, and social justice. At the core of my compositions are universal values: compassion, belonging, and love. I am also inspired by philosophical views and literary works that deeply resonate with my emotions.
As a composer who focuses on the listeners’ experience, I invite the audience to engage in reflection and introspection, encouraging them to connect with my music on a deeper, personal level."