Belle Shiu

Belle Shiu is a pipa virtuoso with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. She completed her Master of Music programme at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) in 2016, under the supervision of Zhang Ying. She started learning pipa under Li Ping of the Music Office, and was coached by the famous virtuosi Yang Jing and Ren Hong. She also trained in nanyin pipa under Ong Chay-tin and zheng under Luo Jing. 

Shiu has been a multiple winner since her primary and secondary school years, including those in the annual Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and several scholarships while she was studying at the HKAPA. She won a Gold Award in the Ensemble Category at the 2nd Chinese Instrumental Music Competition of Guangdong in 2015, a Bronze Award in the International Group at the Hong Kong International Youth Pipa Competition and a Merit Award in the Youth Specialism Group at the Hong Kong International Youth Music Competition in 2013. 

Shiu has performed with the renowned Russian violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet, cellist Trey Lee, Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra, violist Vladimir Mendelssohn, and violinist Gian Paolo Peloso. As a regular guest of Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra, she has performed pipa solo in the Sochi Winter Festival (2019 and 2017), the Russian Culture Festival in Beijing and Tianjin (2019), the Yuri Bashmet Music Festival in Russia (2018), the Prosecco Festival in Italy and the ‘December Nights’ in Russia (both in 2016). One of the highlights in her performing career was in 2015, when she was invited to perform at the historically renowned Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. It made her the first player of Chinese music ever to perform there.

More recently, Shiu appeared as pipa soloist at the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s 2019 tour at the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in Greece. In 2018, she performed the pipa with the local experimental pop band, SoundTube, at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco; the pipa solo Spring Comes to Baiyun Mountain with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra under the baton of Xiao Chao; and pipa solo in Tan Dun’s Concerto for Pipa and Strings with the Philharmonia APA at the concert The 3rd Altamira Hong Kong International Guitar Symposium Orchestra Showcase.