Commissioned and premiered by the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra. Directed by Marc Taddei. May 2023, Empress Theater, Vallejo, CA

you echo in me

In collaboration with writers Jordan Dahlen and Sawyer Elms. 

Jordan Dahlen and Sawyer Elms, narrators
Kate Campbell, piano
Leanny Muñoz, soprano

illustration by Kevin Samson

Spaceman/Watchman

"Failing is something queers do and have always done exceptionally well; for queers failure can be a style... or a way of life... and it can stand in contrast to the grim scenarios of success that depend upon 'trying and trying again.' In fact, if success requires so much effort, then maybe failure is easier in the long run and offers different rewards." -Judith Halberstam, Queer Art of Failure

Premiered April 2024 at the Ann E. Pitzer Center at the University of California, Davis by Nick May as part of the I Exist Project.

jouissance, or learning to let go

Myka Murphy, mezzo-soprano and Joseph Donald Peterson, viola

Text by Tim Dlugos (1950-1990), used with permission from his estate

Premiered May 2024 at the Sacramento Gender Health Center

DOA, scene one from Waiting Rooms

my sinfonietta piece "a gust inside the god..." played in reverse.  title from the eighth Duino Elegy by Rainer Maria Rilke.

never, not once, do we have before us that pure space into which flowers endlessly open

Two excerpts from my dissertation, Eve: The Poem of Pneuma for large orchestra, electronics, and lights.  Performed by the Hartt School Symphony conducted by Britney Alcine.

Eve: The Poem of Pneuma Excerpt

Premiered May 2025 by Estevan Romero and the UC Davis Sinfonietta, directed by Peter Chatterjee

wanting to trust moonflowers

Performed by Splinter Reeds at Cornell University October 2024

can’t live with(out) you

Streaming everywhere:  https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/matthewliu1/coney-island

I wrote “Coney Island” in 2019 for my very first Valentine’s Day show. Somehow it’s taken all this time for it to become what it was meant to be. Today I’m releasing the official recording and music video — a story about nostalgia, longing, and getting “Coney Island-ed away.”

This one is deeply personal, and I’m so grateful to the incredible team who helped bring it to life. 

If you’ve ever kept going back to that one place to find the heart you left...this one’s for you.

Music & Lyrics: Matthew Liu
Piano: Luc Cheng
Recording, Mixing & Mastering: Mike Craig
Strings Arrangement: Matthew Liu
Strings Producer: Philip Sheegog
Studio Footage: Mike Craig
On-site Footage: Hope Chang

Special thanks to Xuelong Mu and Robert Shattuck

Follow Matthew Liu
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MatthewLiu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattliuthings/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattliuthings
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsmatthewliu/

#MatthewLiu #coneyisland #singersongwriter #originalmusic #valentinesday

Coney Island

Arrangement of Edith Piaf's "Milord" for oboe and piano
Elyse Barna, oboe

"Milord" by Edith Piaf, Arrangement for Oboe

Jordyn Gallinek

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