Rachel (Wing Chin) Liu is a performing violist and educator based in Athens, GA. Originally from Hong Kong, she developed a strong passion for performing and teaching music from a young age. She began studying both violin and piano at the age of four, quickly discovering her love for music and her desire to share it with others.
Growing up in a small suburban area of Hong Kong, Rachel had limited access to performance opportunities and music instruction, as most students were encouraged to focus primarily on academics. Her musical path changed significantly in high school, when her conductor appointed her concertmaster at Methodist College and introduced her to the viola; she instantly fell in love with the deep, warm tone. This experience inspired her to pursue the viola professionally and ultimately shaped her commitment to a career as both a performer and educator.
Rachel is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Viola Performance at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. She is dedicated to making music a meaningful and lifelong part of her professional journey.
Currently based in Athens, GA, pursuing her Master’s degree in Viola Performance under Prof. Maggie Snyder, she has numerous performing experiences and enjoys sharing her music as a violist with the world. She is a violist in numerous orchestras, including Augusta Symphony (2024-present). Liu has also worked her way up to be the principal violist in UGA Symphony Orchestra and has played numerous solos, including Strauss’s Oboe Concerto, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and so on. As a member of the Hodgson String Quartet, UGA’s graduate quartet, Rachel has participated in numerous masterclasses and outreach performances. These include masterclasses with the New York Philharmonic String Quartet and cellist David Finckel, among others. Apart from regular orchestras, she also enjoys playing early music in the Baroque Era. She was invited to be in ARCO chamber orchestra in UGA and a part of the Baroque Orchestra of UNT and Collegium Musicum Hong Kong (2018-2019). She participated in masterclasses in front of many famous people, including David Finckel, Dr. Greg Williams, Dr. Louise Landsdowne and so on. Rachel also enjoys performing outside of school; she was under Serenata Strings and Dallas Asian Strings to perform at wedding venues and provide people with a memorable time for their weddings. Besides, she participated in Brevard Music Festivals in both 2025 and 2023 and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in 2024 and 2019. At Brevard Music Festival, she was selected as one of the viola section leaders and was the principal in the Jurassic Park movie concert. On April 28th, 2023, Rachel performed her junior recital and received great comments from the faculty at UNT. “Beautiful sound production and amazing interpretation” (Dr. Gerling). Rachel was awarded the UNT College of Music Competitive Scholarship in 2020.
In addition to her work as a performer, Rachel is an experienced music educator in both Hong Kong and the United States. She currently serves as the teaching assistant to Dr. Maggie Snyder at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, where she teaches undergraduate viola students who consistently find her instruction supportive and rewarding.
She was a violin/viola teacher at Prime Music Institute in Plano, TX, providing music lessons to students of all ages. She was also a violin/piano teacher at Coppell Music Academy. She has been a music teacher since 2017. Back in Hong Kong, she was invited to teach a masterclass in Tun Mun Middle School, and the kids were having a joyful time. She was part of the Hong Kong Teacher Association and provided music lessons in a lot of middle schools and high schools, and gave music lessons to kids. Liu enjoys having a fun time with all her students and makes sure the students all study with a great teacher from whom they have learned a lot. She finds it rewarding in her teaching; a few of her students won the regional orchestra in high school, and some of them also took the ABRSM exam (UK music exam system) and passed with distinction.
In addition to pursuing her Master's, she is working toward her long-term goals of becoming a professor and performing as part of a professional string quartet, combining her love of performance and education on an international scale. In her free time, she enjoys improvising music and spending time with her cat Mochi.
