My name is Joyce and I’m a concert pianist.
My story
Growing up, I was deeply influenced by my dad, who spent hours in his studio, splashing vibrant colors onto canvases in a Jackson Pollock style. I was captivated by the dynamic strokes created with a palette knife and how the blending of colors evoked emotions that shifted with the time of day or mood. Music filled our home even before I was born - it was a constant presence and I could feel the rhythm as I danced in the cradle. This early exposure to both visual art and music ignited my own artistic journey, leading me to become inseparable from the piano, where my journey began to unfold…
How we got here
An internationally sought-after pianist, Joyce Yu enjoys imaginative career as a soloist & artistic collaborator. She has mesmerized audiences on renownded stages across the globe. Recent highlights include, Southampton Cultural Center at the Hamptons, Shenzhen Concert Hall, the Ebenezer Theater, and Delbridge Hall in Boston.
Born in 2000, Joyce made her debut as a soloist at age 15 with Orchestra Napolinova in Italy. She made her debut in Taipei Eslite Performance Hall under the baton DanWen Wei with Taipei Symphony Orchestra and was selected as the only pianist to attend exchange program at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag Netherlands. She was invited to perform for HKSAR 20th Anniversary. She was featured in a documentary “The Silk Road” featured with CEO of Huawei Ren Zhengfei, expressing cultural and musical exchange between East and West on national TV. She has appeared in the Gilmore Festival, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Todi International Music Masters, and Banff Art of Piano.
Joyce’s passion for collaboration with fellow musicians has led her to numerous performances. She has developed a remarkable duo with violinist Jaewon Wee. Her mentors include artists such as Cho Liang Lin, Sharon Robinson, Jaime Laredo, Riche Hawley, Ivo-Jan Van Der Werff, and Ilya Kaler.
I can vouch for her incredible enthusiasm and probing musical nature. Joyce Yu is a young artist of exceptional maturity and sensitivity.
Gabriela Montero
She finds immense joy in collaborating with composers, which adds a vibrant dimension to her musical journey. Recently, she has partnered with American composer Glenn Gordon and is preparing for 2026 USA tour, where she will premiere his remarkable work, “Short and Suite” 24 short pieces in multiple styles and all 24 Keys, Piano Solo Edition.This collaboration captures the essence of life in the USA, reflecting the experiences and memories that shape our identities. It encapsulates the inside jokes we share, the festivals we celebrate, and the rich tapestry of cultural moments that define our lives. Through this work, Joyce aims to convey these unique aspects of American culture, sharing them with a broader audience and inviting listeners to connect and to relive it.
In addition to her work with Gordon, Joyce closely collaborates with Italian composer Roberto Piana, further enriching her artistic repertoire. She is also teaming up with Hong Kong based composer Lewis Chung, and commissioning piano and violin pieces for the upcoming season. She premired Chinese composer Zhang Zhao’s “Ballade of the Shepherd Boy” at Shenzhen Concert Hall in 2017, and studying and researching on György Kurtág with Pi-hsien Chen in Boston, Walnut Hill School for the Arts.
She is grateful for the guidance of the wonderful artist with whom she had the privilege to work throughout her journey, such as Phillipe Bionchoni, Joanna MacGregor, Russell Sherman, Hung-Kuan Chen, Arie Vardi, Gary Graffman, Victor Rosenbaum, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Paul Schenly, Ching-Yun Hu, Eduardo Delgado, Christopher Elton, Arie Vardi, Tema Blackstone, and Alexander Korsantia . Her talent has been recognized by Richard Goode, Ursula Oppens, Horacio Guitierrez, Milana Chernyavska, and Garrick Ohlsson.
Her career has been supported by Jack & Linda Gill scholarship in piano and violin, the Carmen Mihalache Dimulescu scholarship and the George Brough Memorial Endowment.
She is a full scholarship graduate at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University with Jon Kimura Parker, and chamber music with Cho-Liang Lin. She is a alumna at the Cleveland Institute of Music graduated with a bachelor’s degree with Italian pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi. She holds two Artist Diploma from OAcademy. She previously studied with ZhaoYi Dan and Lan Chen at Shenzhen and Gabriel Kwok at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. She will return to the Cleveland Institute of Music on a full scholarship this fall.
Joyce is currently furthering her artistic journey, working on her brain with Diego Prigollini from the Conservatorio Superior de Música Ástor Pizzolla and Fabio Bidini at the Colburn School and her artistic voice with Gabriela Montero.
Joyce Yu is represented by monteropregor.
“Joyce Yu’s playing is full of life and technically very impressive indeed. She will have a bright career.”
Richard Goode