The Author

Geoffrey Liu is a software engineer, pianist, organist, music teacher, and photographer based in the Seattle area. He credits his lifelong interest in technology to his father who taught him the basics of programming in high school, and his passion for music to a recording of Beethoven’s Waldstein sonata in his father’s CD collection. Liu enrolled at the University of Washington, studying computer science and piano performance. During his time at Washington, Liu entered his first tech role as the Webmaster for the student government, a role that would later lead to software engineering internships at Seattle Publishing and CDK Global. Liu was also a two-time music scholarship recipient and a finalist of the School of Music Concerto Competition in 2013. In addition to his music and computer science studies, Liu also played with the university’s Symphony Orchestra on violin, celesta, and piano.

Liu graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Computer Science and a minor in music. After graduation, he moved to the Bay Area of California, where he was first employed as a web developer at Groupon. It didn’t take long for him to switch to iOS development, a field in high demand at the time. In his time at Groupon, Liu was swiftly promoted to Senior iOS Engineer, and subsequently worked on business-critical features across multiple domains and with several cross-functional teams.

During his time in California, Liu was also musically involved with several music ensembles. Among his commitments outside of his professional career as a software developer included violist, violinist, and keyboardist with the Redwood Symphony, piano accompanist for Community School of Music and Arts, and keyboardist and violinist in various church praise groups. At Redwood Symphony under the direction of longtime music director Eric K, Liu performed various solo and orchestral roles with the orchestra, including world premieres, operas, and film scores.

In 2019, Liu moved back to Seattle, a place he has spent the majority of his life and one that he considers home. During the Covid pandemic of 2020, Liu started a new role at PayPal as a Senior Software Engineer. In his time at PayPal, Liu worked with over a half-dozen teams delivering experiences to hundreds of millions of users, and handling all aspects of the feature development lifecycle, from initial collaboration with product managers and designers to ensuring bug-free and timely releases.

Around the same time, Liu began a new role as a music instructor at The Key to Change, a Renton-based music education nonprofit delivering high-quality violin and viola lessons to middle and high school students in South King County. Liu would teach his first two years at Key to Change virtually, while playing piano for students at in-person events. Students at Key to Change studio have gone on to play concertos with the Seattle Symphony, and perform for important figures such as First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden.

After the onset of the Covid pandemic, Liu also found work as a church pianist, playing services at various Seattle churches as a substitute. He would later go on to learn and lead worship services from the organ, due to its prevalence at many of these churches. In January of 2023, Liu began a permanent role as Organist of Kent United Methodist Church. At Kent UMC, Liu would also begin writing, publishing, and performing his own compositions, as well as collaborating with musicians on all different instruments to deliver meaningful worship experiences.

Outside of his careers in music and technology, Liu also enjoys woodworking, home improvement projects, cooking, outdoor photography, biking and hiking. He considers himself a lifelong learner and loves to talk about topics such as geography, urban planning, finance, and history. Liu enjoys watching sci-fi movies and eating just about anything with garlic or parmesan on it. He finds purpose in the minute details of life, and in bringing up the next generation by exposing them to the joy of music.

Liu currently lives in Seattle with his dog, Beau. You can connect with Liu on various platforms such as YouTube or LinkedIn.