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.
Tiu appeared as Chow-Lee on The Danny Thomas Show in the episode "The China Doll," which aired on October 19, 1959.[3]
In 1962, she performed in front of John F. Kennedy.[4] [5] She also appeared in the film Girls! Girls! Girls! as Mai Ling, performing "Earth Boy" with Elvis Presley and her sister Elizabeth.[6]
In 1968, she appeared on The Jonathan Winters Show with her family.
In 2014, Tiu received the Monsignor Charles A. Kekumano Noblesse Oblige Service Award from the Maryknoll School.[7] In 2018, she was awarded Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.[8]
In June 2021, Tiu joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund board. In August, she joined the University of Hawaii Foundation board of trustees.[9] 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.[10]
Tiu was born in the Philippines, the middle child of nine siblings including Vicky Cayetano. Tiu lived in Southern California, Chicago and San Francisco before moving to Hawaii in 1987.