A native of Richmond, BC, Libby Yu has established herself as a coveted pianist, collaborator, teacher and adjudicator.
She captured the First Prize of the 27th CBC Radio National Competition for Young Performers and Second Place in the Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition for Canadian Music. In 1995, she was bestowed international recognition when she was awarded a Diploma of Honour at the 13th International Frederic Chopin Competition held in Warsaw, Poland, being among three Canadian pianists to have ever been given this honour.
As soloist, Libby has graced stages of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, Le Chatre in Nohant, to name a few. A favourite with audiences, Libby has also performed as soloist with major symphony orchestras such as the Netherlands Philharmonic, Montreal, Toronto, National Arts Centre, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver, CBC Vancouver, Manitoba Chamber and Victoria. She has also performed in international festivals such as the “Chopin chez George Sand” Festival in Nohant, France, the Banff School, and the Holland Music Sessions, where she was chosen for the World Tour.
Libby is featured regularly on CBC Radio and has appeared in recital as collaborator with distinguished artists such as Nicolo Eugelmi, Jonathan Crow, Wen Wei, Scott St. John, Malcolm Lowe, James Sommerville, and the Borealis String Quartet among others. The recording “Brahms: Sonatas and Songs” with violist Nicolo Eugelmi and mezzo-soprano Mariateresa Magisano was praised in a review in the Strad Magazine and was also named a “Strad Selection” by the Strad. Libby has released two solo albums: Chopin Recital 1 and Chopin Recital 2.
She is an artist for the Health Arts Society “Concerts in Care” and has a particular passion for bringing music to residential care homes.
Dr. Yu began her early studies with Phyllis Taylor and Edward Parker. She then went to study extensively with Professor Lee Kum-Sing at both the Vancouver Academy of Music and at the University of British Columbia, where she earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance in 2010. She was also awarded the Richardson Presidential Scholarship to study in the Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
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