Taiwanese conductor Brian Liao, currently based in Paris, is steadily establishing himself on the international podium through a combination of major competition successes, orchestral collaborations, and artistic leadership.
He was awarded First Prize at the Lliria City of Music International Conducting Competition (Spain, 2023), followed by Third Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the Lovro von Matačić International Conducting Competition (Croatia, 2023). In recent seasons, he received the Silver Medal at the 5th Giancarlo Facchinetti Conducting Competition (Italy, 2025), Second Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the 7th Bucharest International Conducting Competition (Romania, 2025), Fourth Prize at the 2nd Rachmaninoff International Conducting Competition(Moscow,2025), and reached the semi-finals of the 59th Besançon International Conducting Competition(France,2025).
In 2023, Brian Liao was appointed Artistic Director of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Youth Orchestra, where he is responsible for the artistic planning and direction of future festival and touring projects. That same year, he conducted the orchestra on tour in Taiwan and Thailand. He also serves as Principal Guest Conductor of the Counterpoint Ensemble in Kaohsiung, following a series of critically acclaimed performances that established an ongoing artistic collaboration.
His operatic and symphonic activities include performances with orchestras such as the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, South Denmark Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival Strings, Croatia Radio Symphony Orchestra, George Enescu Philharmonic, Craiova “Oltenia” Philharmonic, Oradea Philharmonic, Arad Philharmonic, Kodály Philharmonia Debrecen, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Orquesta de Bahía Blanca, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
His repertoire spans a wide range of symphonic literature, with a particular focus on the Austro-German tradition and large-scale twentieth-century works.
From 2020, he was selected from over one hundred candidates to serve as Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France in Paris, marking the beginning of his sustained professional presence in France.
Brian Liao has worked closely as assistant to conductors including Klaus Mäkelä (Orchestre de Paris), Susanna Mälkki (Helsinki Philharmonic), Vasily Sinaisky, and Case Scaglione, and collaborated with Yoon Kuk Lee at the St. Gellért Festival in Hungary. In 2023, he was selected as one of six finalists for the London Philharmonic Orchestra Conducting Fellowship.
Additional distinctions include Second Prize at the Only Stage International Conducting Competition (UK,2022), Third Prize at the BMI International Conducting Competition (Romania,2019), and the Orchestra Prize at the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestral Conducting Competition(Hong Kong, 2017).
Brian Liao holds a Master’s degree in Conducting from the University Mozarteum Salzburg, where he studied with Bruno Weil and Alexander Drčar, supported by a full scholarship from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. He has participated in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink, Jorma Panula, Alan Gilbert, Karel Mark Chichon, and Vladimir Fedoseyev, and has been a fellow of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture International Talent Program, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
He currently resides in Paris with his wife, Hsin-Yu Shih, a tenured violinist of the Orchestre de Paris.
Updated, 2026 January
Brian Liao/廖元宏 