Biography

Taiwanese conductor Brian Liao, based in Paris, is building an increasingly international career across Europe and Asia, with recent and upcoming engagements spanning the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Türkiye, Italy, Spain, Croatia, France, and Taiwan.

During the 2026/27 season, Liao makes debuts with the North Czech Philharmonic, Brașov Philharmonic, Lower Silesian Philharmonic, Sanremo Symphony Orchestra, and Camerata Sol, while returning to the Szolnok Symphony Orchestra and the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra. The season also includes collaborations with the Counterpoint Ensemble and Concertgebouw Brass.

Recent professional engagements have included the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic, Oradea Philharmonic, Craiova Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra della Magna Grecia, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Bahía Blanca.

His broader conducting experience has brought him to orchestras including the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne, Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Lucerne Festival Strings, and Augsburg Philharmonic.

From 2020 to 2021, Liao served as Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, following an international selection process involving more than one hundred candidates. The appointment marked the beginning of his sustained professional activity in France.

Alongside his guest-conducting career, Liao has developed long-term artistic and international projects. Since 2023, he has served as Artistic Director of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Youth Orchestra. The 2027 season marks his fourth year in the position, culminating in an international tour to South Korea following concerts in Taiwan. He also serves as Principal Guest Conductor of the Counterpoint Ensemble in Kaohsiung.

In 2027, Liao will co-found the Piano Concerto Festival and Piano Island Festival together with Singaporean pianist Congyu Wang, creating new platforms for collaboration between pianists, conductors and orchestras and for international artistic exchange.

A multiple prizewinner at international conducting competitions, Liao was awarded First Prize at the Sofia International Conducting Competition in 2026 and First Prize at the Llíria “City of Music” International Conducting Competition in 2023. Further distinctions include Third Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the Lovro von Matačić International Competition of Young Conductors, Second Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the Bucharest International Conducting Competition, Second Prize at the Giancarlo Facchinetti International Conducting Competition, and Fourth Prize at the Rachmaninoff International Competition for Conductors. He was also a semifinalist at the 2025 Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors. His Orchestra Prizes in Zagreb and Bucharest, awarded by professional orchestral musicians, reflect a recurring strength in his communication and relationship with orchestras.

An important part of Liao’s artistic development was his selection for Bernard Haitink’s conducting masterclass at the Lucerne Festival. He has also participated in masterclasses and worked with conductors including Jorma Panula, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Fedoseyev, and Mark Chichon, and has worked closely as an assistant with Klaus Mäkelä, Susanna Mälkki, Vasily Sinaisky, and Case Scaglione. In 2023, he was selected as one of six finalists for the London Philharmonic Orchestra Conducting Fellowship.

Liao studied conducting at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Bruno Weil and Alexander Drčar, supported by a full scholarship from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. He is based in Paris.

Updated Sep. 2026, Paris