Virginia "Ginny" Tiu (born 1954) is an American philanthropist and former child piano prodigy.
Tiu began playing the piano when she was three, with her father as her first teacher. [1] [2] On May 3, 1959, Tiu appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time; she continued to appear on the show several times throughout 1960. [3]
Tiu appeared as Chow-Lee on Bachelor Father in the episode "The China Doll," which aired on October 19, 1959. [4]
In 1962, she performed in front of John F. Kennedy. [5] [6] She also appeared in the film Girls! Girls! Girls! as Mai Ling, performing "Earth Boy" with Elvis Presley and her sister Elizabeth. [7]
In 1968, she appeared on The Jonathan Winters Show with her family. [8]
In 2014, Tiu received the Monsignor Charles A. Kekumano Noblesse Oblige Service Award from the Maryknoll School. [9] In 2018, she was awarded Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. [10]
In June 2021, Tiu joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund board. [10] In August, she joined the University of Hawaii Foundation board of trustees. [11] As of May 2022, she serves on the board of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the University of Hawaii Foundation Board of Trustees and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. [5] [12]
Tiu was born in the Philippines, the middle child of nine siblings including Vicky Cayetano. [5] Tiu lived in Southern California, Chicago and San Francisco before moving to Hawaii in 1987. [6]