When it comes to siblings, you either share the same interests or you don’t.
Two award-winning Richmond brothers and musicians are showcasing their same passion for music by performing in a public concert together for the first time.
The Liu brothers - Alan, 20, and Brayden, 17, - will be playing a variety of classical pieces on guitar and piano, respectively, at the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society concert on Dec. 18.
“We’ve always had this goal of playing together at least once,” said Alan, adding that they hope they have more chances to do so in the future.
“As brothers and classical musicians, it just makes sense to. Right now, it’s different in the sense that it’s not a pure classical guitar or a pure piano type of concert. It’s a little bit of both and I think that’s what makes it special.”
Both Alan and Brayden have received multiple accolades in the music industry including competition awards at the local, national and international levels.
When asked how the brothers were introduced to music, they said it was due to their parents’ encouragement.
Alan chose the classical guitar as his parents wanted him to pick a “more outgoing instrument,” and Brayden, following in his older brother’s footsteps, did not want to play the same instrument so veered towards the piano.
Alan made his classical guitar debut at the Vancouver Orpheum at the age of 13, while Brayden made his piano debut at Carnegie Hall in New York at 11.
“Music is a type of art and of course art is a passion for many people and I think it is the same case for me and Alan,” said Brayden.
“In our lives, music is what makes us happy and it is something we are constantly working to improve on. It’s our craft and our job.”
Alan added that music also became a meditative outlet during COVID-19.
Both Alan and Brayden told the Richmond News that holding a concert is also a way to bring the community together for the Christmas holidays since the pandemic all but cancelled Christmas last year.
“We’re just excited to have this concert together…It’ll be a nice opportunity because as musicians, we need in-person performances to help us get better.”
The concert will be held in person at Pyatt Hall, in downtown Vancouver, and will also be live-streamed on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
For more information and tickets, visit www.vancouverguitar.org
