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 The Danny Thomas Show 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]