Born in Qingdao, China, Mingjia Liu began his oboe studies at the Central Music Conservatory Affiliated Middle School under Professor Wei Weidong. He later continued his education at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the United States, where he studied with internationally renowned oboe masters Alex Klein and Robert Walters.
In his sophomore year at Oberlin, Liu successfully won the position of Principal Oboe of the Kansas City Symphony, becoming the youngest principal oboist in a professional U.S. orchestra. In recognition of this extraordinary achievement, Oberlin Conservatory awarded him an Artist Certificate—an exceptional honor. Just one year later, Liu triumphed again, earning the position of Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Opera after three rounds of blind auditions, prevailing over nearly two hundred candidates worldwide. Maestro Nicola Luisotti, Music Director of the San Francisco Opera, described his playing as “a sound from heaven.”
Beyond his busy schedule with the San Francisco Opera, Liu has appeared as guest principal or soloist with numerous major orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, China National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra, and China National Symphony Orchestra, earning widespread acclaim and respect from audiences and colleagues alike.
In addition to his performing career, Liu’s teaching contributions have been widely recognized by musical institutions both in China and abroad. In 2012, he was invited to return to his alma mater for the International Oboe Festival hosted by the Central Music Conservatory. He joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2016. Since 2017, he has served as a jury member for the International Double Reed Society’s prestigious Gillet Competition, and was elected Vice President of the International Double Reed Society in 2018. That same year, he was appointed artist and faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and the Colburn School in the United States.
Liu’s students have not only won awards at prestigious competitions such as the American Spotlight Instrumental Competition and the IDRS Gillet and Hooks Competitions, but have also secured positions in professional orchestras including the China Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Chengdu Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Opera House, Dachao Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Opera.
An entrepreneur at heart, Mingjia Liu is also the founder of MusEcho, a world-leading oboe accessory brand that invents innovative tools designed to make oboists’ lives easier and more rewarding. Additionally, he has co-designed the new ML-Jade model with the renowned French oboe manufacturer F.Lorée, pushing the boundaries of oboe craftsmanship to new heights.
Mingjia Liu stands among the rare few Chinese musicians who have achieved international distinction both as a performer and as an educator. In 2022, he joined the Tianjin Juilliard School, dedicating himself to building a more global platform for the next generation of oboists from China and beyond.