Shiwei Liu was born in 1995 in Changsha, Hunan. Her work focuses on exploring the possibilities of using language as a musical instrument from a female perspective and a multicultural background. She combines the tonal variations of the Hunan dialect with Western contemporary music, giving language a new musical expression and revealing the subtle connections between culture, gender, and nature. Through this cross-cultural fusion, she breaks traditional boundaries, exploring how the unique expression of women through sound can be conveyed in the context of globalization. Her work promotes innovation and exchange between culture and gender in contemporary music.
Her compositions have been performed and awarded worldwide, including at the following events: the 2016-2017 Young Composers Competition (USA), the 13th International Sound and Organ Festival (Germany), the ContemPLAY Music Festival (Lithuania), the 30th International Young Composers Meeting 2024 (Netherlands), the 10th Contrasti Contemporary Music Festival (Italy), the Lv Contemperament Music Festival (UK), the 14th Impuls International Ensemble and Composers Academy for Contemporary Music (Austria), the Mixtur Composition and Sound Experimentation Workshop (Spain), the Donaueschingen International Festival of Contemporary Music (Germany), the 1st Ise-Shima International Composition Competition (Japan), and the 31st Città di Barletta Young Musician International Competition (Italy), among others.
She has also collaborated with many world-renowned musicians and ensembles, including the Four Corners Ensemble (USA), the Ligeti Quartet (UK), the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra (China), the Shanghai Opera House (China), the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra (China), Orkest De Ereprijs (Netherlands), the Contrasti Ensemble (Italy), and many others.