Biography

Canadian pianist Michelle Jia Yun Xu made her international debut at age 11 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and has since captivated audiences throughout North America, Europe, and China. Most recently, she was featured at the Day of Music Festival, presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris under the tutelage of Marie-Josèphe Jude and Clément Lefebvre, Michelle previously earned her Bachelor of Music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, studying with Angela Cheng. Her formative years in Vancouver were shaped by Kenneth Broadway and Ralph Markham, and she has also benefited from the guidance of esteemed musicians such as Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Charles Richard-Hamelin, André Watts, Benedetto Lupo, and others.

A Lauréate of the Concours Piano Campus 2025, Michelle was awarded the Prix d’Honneur Aline Foriel-Destezet, the Prix du Festival Baroque de Pontoise, and the prize for the best interpretation of the semi-final imposed piece. She is also a prizewinner of numerous prestigious competitions, including the Shean Competition, VWMS Bursary Competition, Seattle International Piano Competition, Bjorn & Lori Hareid Competition, and the Pacific Youth Piano Competition. She is deeply grateful for the support of the BC Arts Council, which has recognized her as a recurring scholarship recipient.

Michelle has performed and studied at some of the world's most renowned festivals, including Morningside Music Bridge, Domaine Forget, and the Borromeo Music Festival. She made her orchestral debut in 2014 with the West Coast Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and has since appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Alicante and the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet.

Passionate about using music as a means of giving back to her community, Michelle presented her first charity solo recital in 2015, donating all proceeds to the BC Alzheimer’s Society. She remains committed to outreach, regularly performing in retirement homes and at benefit concerts.