Ethan Liu ’26 has cultivated a passion for both music and photography, navigating the duality of both artistic disciplines. In addition to playing the violin in the Andover Symphony Orchestra, Liu is a saxophonist for various bands, including the Andover Jazz Band and the student-led band Goose and Moose.
Liu’s passions have allowed him to express himself and his observations in various ways.
“Both [music and photography] are expressions of what I love. With photography, I try to express the moments of beauty I see in the world. With music, I use it as a more concrete expression of language, where I can show my emotions and say more than what words can,” said Liu.
From a young age, Liu grew up surrounded by art. His mother is a traditional Chinese musician, and his father is a painter. These influences laid the foundation for his journey studying the arts. Reflecting on these formative years, Liu particularly highlighted the impact of his father, and how that eventually piqued his interest in photography later.
“Photography is an instant form of art, I feel like. You just press the button, and it captures the moment, or the essence of the moment. When I’m in nature, everything is changing around me at all times. I’m so grateful that I can capture those little things with the camera, and try different angles that will make the photos more interesting. I can highlight the details that I want the audience to feel,” said Liu.
Although Liu values the instantaneous nature of photography, he equally respects the thorough preparation that is needed in music performance. As a performer in Grasshopper 2023, Liu fondly reflected on the behind-the-scenes memories with his band, Goose and Moose, emphasizing the collaborative group effort and shared quality time in the days leading up to the show.
“That experience was one of the happiest moments of my time here at Andover. Not just the performance itself, but the practice getting there, spending time with my band, Goose and Moose, rehearsing for our songs, at night or the early mornings. And the day of the performance, dressing up and just putting on a great show with all my friends,” said Liu.
Liu also reflected on the process behind his photography, where his approach is more nuanced and less straightforward. Liu has found that photography often relies on being in the right place at the right moment, which means always having the camera on hand. Over the years, Liu has evolved as a photographer by continuously troubleshooting, refining, and experimenting.
“For photography, it’s a matter of practice. I’ve taken tens of thousands of photos throughout the years. From the start, just experimenting with what I can, and I learned through experience. Things like what angles might look good, what colors might look good, what lighting might look good, how the light might affect the photos, how to edit the photos and manipulate them, takes time, and a process of over and over again,” said Liu.
In the future, Liu wishes to inspire those around him to become involved in the arts. Beyond his performances, Liu plans to create clubs that can share his love for both jazz music and photography with the Andover community.
“In the future [I hope to] maybe inspire others to listen to this type of music, [jazz]. For my photography, I hope to show people the beauty of the world, in all different aspects and angles, from nature to just life in general. At school, I hope to start some clubs, maybe a photography club,” said Liu.
