BIOGRAPHY
Yu Su had a musical upbringing from a young age and moved to England from Wuhan, China, at the age of three with her musician parents. Su has performed extensively across the UK, Europe and China; her musical experiences include recital performances at Wuhan Qingtai Concert Hall, Wuhan University Old Library, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Wigmore Hall and the Sage Gateshead. In addition to performing, Su regularly participates in community projects as a pianist; highlights include Voicelab Big Sing events at The Southbank Centre and Inspire Opera Holland Park.
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Su has worked as Assistant Music Director for Hampstead Garden Opera (Cimarosa The Secret Marriage) and répétiteur for Opera Holland Park (Mozart Don Giovanni), The Guildhall School of Music (Dove The adventures of Pinocchio, Stradella San Giovanni Battista, Arne The Cooper, Dvorak The Cunning Peasant, Donizetti I pazzi per progetto, and Arnold The Dancing Master. She has also showcased opera scenes from Ravel L’Heure Espagnole, Mozart Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, La finta giardiniera, Handel Orlando, Donizetti L’elisir d’amore, Beethoven Fidelio, Dove The Little Green Swallow, Eötvös The Three Sisters, Puccini Turandot, R.Strauss Capriccio and Ariadne auf Naxos) and she has worked as an accompanist for the Wales International Academy of Voice, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the Royal Academy of Music.
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As a Samling artist, Su has had the privilege to work closely with Sir Thomas Allen, Malcolm Martineau and Stephen King. She has also participated in masterclasses with many great artists including Dennis O’Neill, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Anne Murray, Nuccia Focile, Rebecca Evans, Nelly Miricioiu, Della Jones, Joseph Rouleau and Sarah Walker.
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Su gained her MA at the Royal Academy of Music, where she specialised in postgraduate Piano Accompaniment under the tutelage of Michael Dussek, Tessa Nicholson and Nicholas Walker. Upon graduation, she was awarded a DipRAM for outstanding final recital and subsequently became répétiteur and accompanist at the Wales International Academy of Voice under the directorship of Dennis O’Neill CBE. After completing the répétiteur course at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Su continued working as an opera coach as part of her Junior Fellowship.
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Over the years, Su has received various accompaniment awards, including the Scott Huxley Accompanist Prize, the Ludmilla Andrew Russian Song Accompanist Prize, the Bache Fund Prize and she is very grateful for the generosity of the Leverhulme Arts Scholarship and Help Musicians UK who helped fund her studies.
ACCOMPANIST | CHAMBERÂ MUSICIAN
Most recently, Su co-organised the very first UK Hubei Music Festival in Wuhan, China with world-class musicians and professors from the Royal Academy of Music that included Michael Dussek FRAM, Sophie Langdon FRAM, Nicholas Walker LRAM ARAM and Lionel Handy FRAM with whom she subsequently performed Delius Sonata no.3 for violin (arr. Lionel Handy) for the London Cello Society. With chamber music as the core of the UK Hubei Music Festival, internationally experienced UK-based musicians worked with music students from three universities in Wuhan and presented their programmes to a full auditorium in Qingtai Concert Hall.
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Su is a great advocate of art song and her recital highlights include vocal showcases as part of the Academy of French Song and Opera in Brel, concerts at the Sage Gateshead as a Samling artist, performances of ‘A bicentenary celebration of Liszt songs’ as part of Academy Song Circle at the homes of Lady Solti and Sir Vernon Ellis and vocal recitals with the Pharos Arts Foundation in Cyprus.
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As an experienced collaborative pianist, Su has performed in the finals of the Kathleen Ferrier Singing Competition at Wigmore Hall, played for vocal masterclasses with Dame Anne Murray, Dennis O’Neill, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Nuccia Focile, Rebecca Evans, Nelly Miricioiu, Della Jones, Joseph Rouleau and Sarah Walker.
Su has worked as staff accompanist for auditions at the Royal Academy of Music, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Wales International Academy of Voice and accompanied auditionees for institutions that include Guildhall School of Music, Trinity Laban, National Children’s Orchestra and English National Opera.
VOCAL COACH | RÉPÉTITEUR
Working as a vocal coach, Su has collaborated with artists from San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera House, English National Opera, New Zealand Opera, Oper Stuttgart, Welsh National Opera, Opera North and Scottish Opera.
Vocal students that Su has coached include singers from Renmin University in Beijing, Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Trinity Laban, Royal College of Music and Wales International Academy of Voice.