Vanessa Yu
Named one of CBC Music's top 30 classical musicians under 30, Canadian pianist Vanessa Yu is establishing herself as a sensitive and charismatic musician. Raised in Toronto and currently based in Baltimore, Vanessa has given solo performances in Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, the United States, and across Canada at venues including Carnegie’s Weill Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Bradley Symphony Center, and the Chautauqua Amphitheater.
Vanessa has had recordings broadcasted on CBC Music, in addition to being featured on OMNI Television and 680 News. As a finalist at the Classicalia competition, her concerto performance with the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra was televised by PBS SoCal and Stingray Classica. Recent recording projects include premieres of commissioned Canadian voice-piano works, recorded with soprano Maghan McPhee on the Akashic Classics label with distribution through Universal. Produced by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, the album will be released in 2025.
A seasoned concerto soloist, Vanessa has performed Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Saint-Saëns concerti with the Central Texas Philharmonic, Vienna Opera Ball, Toronto Concert, Mississauga Symphony, Oakville Chamber, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber, York Symphony, Burlington Symphony, North York Concert, Kindred Spirits, and Etobicoke Philharmonic orchestras. Next season, she will perform Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto with Sinfonia Toronto and present solo recitals at venues including the Montpelier Arts Center. Recognized in competitions across multiple countries, she has received prizes from the Harrison Winter, Chicago International, Eisemann International, Thousand Islands International, Città di San Donà di Piave International, and PianoArts North American competitions, among others.
Vanessa graduated from the University of Toronto where she was a full scholarship BMusPerf student under the tutelage of Steven Philcox and Enrico Elisi. She is currently pursuing Master’s studies in performance and pedagogy at the Peabody Conservatory in the studio of Boris Slutsky. Vanessa has also played in masterclasses for renowned musicians including Robert McDonald, Jerome Lowenthal, and John Perry, and will be furthering her studies at the PianoTexas and Pianofest in the Hamptons programs this summer.
Inspired by her mentors, Vanessa enjoys teaching; her students have won awards at competitions including the International Music Festival and Competition in Ontario and Ontario Music Festivals’ Association provincials. In addition, she has recently led masterclasses and adjudicated competitions in Ontario and Maryland. A passionate educator beyond music, Vanessa has also taught design-based workshops at Google and international post-secondary institutions.