Michelle CHOW

Piano accompaniment

Royal Academy of Music, London

Described by Rudolf Jansen as an “intelligent, sensitive and thoughtful pianist”, Dutch-Chinese collaborative pianist Michelle Chow has performed throughout Europe and the U.S., including the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht, Southwark, Cathedral and Regent Hall in London, Salle Cortot Paris, and Lincoln City Cultural Center in the U.S. She was the winner of the Royal Academy of Music London Brahms Wilfrid Parry Prize, Harold Craxton Prize for chamber music, and recipient of the Evelyn German Prize, the Frank & Hilda Stokes Prize, and the Marjorie Meyer Memorial Prize.

Michelle started studying piano at the age of six in China, and upon returning to The Netherlands, continued her studies in the Young Talent programme of the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague with renowned piano pedagogue Marlies van Gent. She then completed her bachelor’s degree there cum laude under the guidance of Professor Ellen Corver. While in The Hague, she discovered a passion for chamber music, and has since formed many ensembles and close partnerships with violinists Emma Rhebergen and Naori Takahashi, sopranos Julianna Cook and Ginette Puylaert, and mezzo-soprano Nina van Essen among others.

To further pursue a career as a chamber musician, Michelle moved to London and received a Diploma of Royal Academy of Music after completing the Master of Arts with Distinction. She has worked with such esteemed musicians as Dmitri Bashkirov, Nino Gvetadze, Helmut Deutsch, Rudolf Jansen, György Pauk, Henning Kraggerud, Philippe Graffin, Christoph Richter and Yuzuko Horigome.

In addition to classical and chamber repertoire, Michelle has a passion for contemporary music, and was instrumental in “De Tijd” with Residentie Orkest and in the new music ensemble Asko Schönberg’s performance of “De Materie” by Louis Andriessen, conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw.

Michelle was a Repetiteur Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music from 2022-2024. She is also on faculty at the Savonnlina Music Academy since summer 2023.