Liana Lan received her master’s degree from the Harris School of Public Policy in 2023, where her academic interests focused on environmental policy, sustainability, and geospatial/data analysis. During her time at the University of Chicago, she was deeply involved in the Music Department as a member of the Piano Program and as a valued student Event Manager for the Music Department. She later served as Piano Program Coordinator when the Piano Program Director was on leave.
Share with us more about your current role at HIP Investor.
I currently work as a Senior Analyst at HIP Investor, where I study how investments intersect with environmental and social impact. Much of my work focuses on climate risk modeling, which investors increasingly treat as part of long-term financial risk. A large part of my work involves data analysis and mapping. I look at climate hazards, toxic facilities, infrastructure, and community resilience, and translate those patterns into insights for investors. The broader goal of this work is to help redirect capital toward businesses that are more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.
I know you have continued to stay active with the piano program at UChicago since graduating. What advice do you have for recent alums that are unsure how music will fit into their lives post-graduation?
I am not sure if I have universal advice. For me, music has long been one of the central things that gives my life structure and meaning.
I still remember that only two months after I began my life at UChicago, I was injured in a hit-and-run accident when a car ran over my legs. That accident changed a lot of things for me, and it’s still the most difficult experience I’ve had so far, physically and emotionally. I was new to Chicago, alone and far from home. During that time, nothing truly helped me recover except for playing a lot of piano, especially Chopin’s works.
The second movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, the Larghetto, (Trifonov and Pletnev’s interpretation particularly) brought me back to life, and has saved me again and again through my darkest moments. Every time I listen to the first few passages after the piano enters, I feel as though Chopin is crossing centuries and space with this miraculously beautiful music to love me, to love humanity, and to make the whole universe rise around me in blessing.
During that period, I often practiced four or five hours a day, and in a very real sense, that was how I healed. Even now, if I go a day without playing music, something feels unsettled. I work from home (lucky me), so I have more flexibility to spend time on piano. For me, music is not something I have to consciously “fit into” my life. It has naturally become one of its pillars.
As an alumnus, I’m still actively engaged as a member of the Piano Program and the Chinese Music Ensemble, and I always feel welcome every time I come back to the UChicago Music Department. The faculty and staff are some of the nicest and warmest people—Lam, Eugenia, Lara, Jennifer, Barbara, and everyone else. I love this community. The Music Department is my home at UChicago!
You were very involved in the Music Department during your time as a student. What do you miss the most? Or do you have any favorite memories that you would like to share?
I made most of my UChicago friends through Music Department activities! A favorite memory I have was the recital I presented right before graduation. Many of my friends were there, and even some professors came, which given how busy UChicago professors are was really something!
I also have previous experience working for the Music Department as the Piano Program Coordinator when former Piano Program Director, Dr. Jeong, was on leave for an academic year. I organized weekly studio classes, managed logistics and communication, and worked with students, staff, and visiting artists. I found that work incredibly fulfilling to sustain a musical community that meant a great deal to me.
Another special memory was performing Brahms’ Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2 at a Tea Time Concert. Following the performance, an audience member came to me in tears stating that she was deeply moved. Another audience member said that he sensed this feeling of struggling to hold onto someone but ultimately knowing it was futile. What that audience member described was exactly what I tried to convey! I often suffer this existential sadness myself, or a deep helplessness that nothing can be fully obtained, and nothing can be kept forever even exhausting all our strengths.
As performers, we do not always know whether what we feel in music truly reaches the listeners. Pianists might be especially lonely in some ways, because most of our practice happens in some dark grim corner, talking to the piano or to ourselves while wrestling with the same few measures. However, at that moment, I felt that something very personal I had sent through the music had been received. That performance will always be precious to me.
In addition to piano, what are other interests you like to explore in your free time?
Most of my free time is devoted to playing the piano. I also love reading almost anything connected to music. I enjoy learning about the intersections between music, mathematics, physics, and nature, as well as philosophy of art — Schopenhauer has said quite a few things about music that I love. I also enjoy exploring music history, especially gossip and anecdotes about composers.
I used to play the Chinese zither, or guzheng, as a child. I haven’t kept up with it since piano took over my life.
What's a piece of advice you received that was particularly formative?
Like many musicians, I occasionally struggle with stage anxiety. Performance anxiety is not something that only affects beginners; even very experienced performers speak openly about it. Yuja Wang once said even though she plays nearly a hundred concerts a year, sitting on stage still feels uncomfortable.
My piano teacher, Ani Gogova, told me to not focus on the result or worry about the consequence of messing something up. That mindset will kill your performance and the fun. Playing music is fun. We can never fully control the outcome of a performance, just as we cannot fully control the direction of our lives. What we can manage is our own action, preparation, and presence in the moment. That advice echoes a verse from the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2, Verse 47): “We have a right to our actions, but not to the fruits of those actions.” I can practice with discipline and bring my whole self to performance, and to life. But once the sound leaves my hands, I have to trust the moment, and trust that the path will unfold from there.
What have you been listening to lately?
Click here to Listen to Liana Lan’s curated playlist on YouTube.