Jay Liu

Associate Principal Viola of the San Francisco Symphony since 1993, violist Jay Liu has served on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 2014, where many of his students have gone on to win prestigious positions in major symphony orchestras throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Born in Shanghai, China, Mr. Liu began violin studies at the age of five and subsequently entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Upon graduation, he was named Assistant Professor of Viola. In 1986, Mr. Liu came to the United States to study with Professor Donald McInnes and Alan De Veritch at the University of Southern California. Three years later, he won his first orchestra position as Principal Viola with San Diego Symphony. Just a year later, Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich invited him to join the National Symphony in Washington DC.

A devoted pedagogue, Mr. Liu completed a three-week teaching residency in 2011 as a Fulbright Specialist at China's Central Conservatory of Music and, from 1999 to 2015, he served as the viola coach of the Asian Youth Orchestra, as well as for the China National Youth Orchestra (NYO-China) in 2017.