Qianci Liu
Cellist, Instructor, Composer, Arts Administrator, and Cultural Producer
A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Qianci Liu is an acclaimed cellist, instructor, composer, and recording artist with over a decade of professional experience in the Greater New York region. She serves as Artist Relations and Head of Asia for the New York-based label Skillman Records, directing its international initiatives and cross-cultural expansion. A specialist in arts management and international resource integration, she is also the Executive Director of the Paulus Hook Music Foundation, the New York Big Apple Music Festival, and the New York International Symphony Orchestra.
Qianci regularly organizes large-scale musical events at world-class venues, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, expertly managing complex project logistics, diplomatic cultural relations, and artist coordination. She served as Concert Producer and Artistic Director for the China Media Group (CMG) “United as One: World Voices of Peace” Film Music Concert at Lincoln Center, which featured legendary artists Lang Lang and Randall Goosby alongside the New York International Symphony Orchestra. She also produced the “Golden Bell Laureates” Chinese New Year Concert at Carnegie Hall, a flagship collaborative concert hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). Commissioned by the Chinese Consulate General in New York and the Permanent Mission of China to the UN, she produced the “Echoes Across the Ocean” China-U.S. Songfest.
Her standard-setting production oversight is backed by an equally distinguished performing and recording career. In October 2023, she presented the highly acclaimed “Wandering Melody”—Qianci Liu and Friends Concert at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, performing a diverse program that featured original compositions for cello. Her commercial recording credits include On and Between, a Global Music Award winner album, composed by Zhen Chen, as well as Waiting for Me and A Journey Through Reading and Music, composed by Wei Luo for CCTV and the Shanghai Library East, and Dream Thousand by Meng Wang. Her solo album releases include A Cellist in the Shaoxing Road, Xian Qin, Little Reunion, and Pray for the World, complemented by her compositional portfolio featuring original animation scores such as Lily, to Mom and Candy for Cello and Jazz Band. Earlier in her career, Qianci was a cellist with the Shanghai Opera House Orchestra, the Principal Cellist for the Broadway musical The Lion King Shanghai Tour in 2005, and the featured soloist for the Shanghai Bund Lights Show Theme Music, recording the prominent tracks “Walking on the Bund” and “Enduring Brilliance”.
This unique fusion of artistic excellence and executive leadership has established Qianci as a continuous presence within the international diplomatic and United Nations communities. As an active member of the United Nations Women’s Guild, she served as Special Music Program Advisor for the 17th UN Chinese Language Day in 2026, collaborating with American vocalist Aaron Scarberry on a viral, globally acclaimed Mandarin rendition of “I Love You, China” that captivated audiences worldwide. This followed her successful tenure as Music Director for the 15th UN Chinese Language Day celebration in 2024, where she curated the program and invited top Chinese pop artist Zhou Shen to perform. Additionally, for the Sixth New York Big Apple Music Festival in 2025, she produced and performed a collaborative concert featuring the UN Symphony Orchestra and the UN Singers at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. The performance, which included the works Ode to Peace and Flowers of Peace, was filmed by UN News and featured in the documentary UN Post-80s, a joint project by the Shanghai Media Group and the United Nations Department of Global Communications. She has also curated and performed programs for the United Nations China Book Club and China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
Parallel to her diplomatic endeavors, Qianci seamlessly integrates her musical career with social initiatives and social entrepreneurship. She is the Co-founder of “Thousand Graceful Melodies,” an innovative duo formed with pianist and entrepreneur Sherry Li that connects music, global entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. Through this partnership, she produced the “Harmonics of Enterprise” concert series at the Harvard Club in Boston, supporting children’s causes in collaboration with global entrepreneurs and Harvard Business School alumni. She also produces the annual “Echo of Love” charity concert series for Good Grief in New Jersey, and regularly collaborates with the Samuel Chen Live on Foundation in Long Island, the Summit College Club, and the American Dream New Year Concert, as well as directing programs for the Sinovision Lunar New Year Gala.
As a dedicated cello instructor, Qianci operates three thriving teaching studios in Jersey City, New Jersey, Summit, New Jersey, and White Plains, New York. She has successfully prepared her students for prestigious performances at Carnegie Hall’s Stern and Zankel Halls, frequently directing youth ensembles for community and charitable events. She holds an academic foundation in classical cello performance from the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music and earned her Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Professor Marion Feldman.
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