Peter Liu
Ottawa 45° 25' 15.16" N, 75° 41' 24.40" W Music Person
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from New York University, completed doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the University of Vermont, and moved to Ottawa, Ontario in 1998. With a background in clarinet and vocal performance, Peter has trained intensively in the past five years as a jazz vocalist. He studies regularly with Sharada Banman for jazz vocal instruction and coaching, and with Laurence Ewashko for classical voice training. Peter has also attended the annual Jazzworks Summer Jazz Workshop since 2008, where he has worked closely with vocalists Sharada Banman, Julie Michels, and Christine Duncan, and engaged in intensive combo work with Toronto bassist Kieran Overs and guitarist Kevin Barrett. Peter has also taken lessons with jazz legends Sheila Jordan and Kitty Margolis, and recently participated in a masterclass at the NAC Fourth Stage with Peter Eldridge, of New York Voices fame, as part of the "Manhattan on the Rideau" series.
Peter leads Bamboo Groove, The Jazz Mutants, and the Peter Liu Trio/Quartet, and he performs as special guest vocalist for other groups. His jazz combos play a wide range of music at public and private events across the Ottawa area, including performances at Rideau Hall and the National Arts Centre's Fourth Stage. Peter is also a core member of the Ewashko Singers, performing regularly at the National Art Centre's Southam Hall, including recent productions of "The Lord of the Rings in Concert", Pops concert "Do You Hear the People Sing?", Beethoven's Ode to Joy, and Handel's Messiah.
Bamboo Groove is Ottawa's first all-Asian jazz band, and this combo integrates traditional and modern approaches to standards, as well as original music and jazz interpretations of Mandarin Chinese pop songs. The Peter Liu Trio / Quartet is a flexible combo, where Peter performs with a variety of Ottawa's finest musicians, playing selections of classic jazz standards and adapting the band and music to suit specific events and venues. Also an option are The Jazz Mutants, who creatively and intuitively explore the great American Songbook.