Background Info

Education

DMA in Piano Performance, Michigan State University, 2019 MM in Vocal Arts, Michigan State University, 2020 MM in Piano Performance, University of Michigan, 2016 BFA in Piano, California Institute of the Arts, 2014

Biography

Michelle ShanShan Ding is a pianist-soprano,, known for her versatility for performing in both mediums. She was the guest artist in Hawaii Performing Arts Festival in summer 2022, where She sang Donte Lieta from La Boheme, and played Public Opinion in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Both of her performance got featured in two reviews by The Big Island Music Magazine. In 2021, she won the third prize in the NATS (National Associations of Teachers of Singing) competition, in the adult category. From 2017 to 2020, she has been a fervent performer of The Greater Lansing Community Concert series and gave four concerts with different programs. In her concerts, she played substantial classical solo piano works such as Liszt’s B minor sonata and Ravel’s Miroirs. In the same programs, she sang Italian Arias like Donte Lieta from Puccini’s La Boheme , German lieders like Strauss’s Morgan, and French chansons like Faure’s Apres un Reve and English Art Songs including Quilter’s Love’s Philosophy. In July 2016, she performed the Yellow River Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, she held a concert at Shanghai Grand Theatre. On the first half of the concert, she performed five solo piano works, including Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata and Liszt’s Faust Waltz. On the other half, she sang four arias including Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro and Lehar’s Mein Lippen sie Kussen so Heiss. From 2011 to 2014, she gave 15 solo piano and vocal recitals in venues such as churches, a Women`s Club, and retirement communities. As a pianist, Michelle has traveled around the world and attended many festivals. In 2015, she performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in Perugia, Italy. In 2014, she was the pianist for Calarts Orchestra and New Century Players under the direction of David Rosenboom. In 2013, she attended the John Perry Summer Festival and performed at the Colburn School of Music in downtown LA. As a soprano, she attended the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival where she sang Octavia in the scene of Die Rosenklavier. Her roles also included Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro. Growing up in a musical and theatrical family, Michelle was a singing prodigy. She was a winner of the Five Star TV Show in Shanghai when she was 12. Her family and she won the Family Has Got Talent TV show the following year. Because she likes to accompany her parents’ singing, she started studying the piano. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Michigan State University in 2019, and a master’s degree in Vocal Arts in 2020. She received master’s degree in Piano Performance from University of Michigan with Charles Fisher fellowship in 2016 and her bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance with a minor in Voice from California Institute of the Arts in 2014. Currently, she lives in Ann Arbor with her husband Frank. their daughter Allie and their pet Rainbow, and runs her own studio offering both piano and voice lessons. When the pandemic hit, she launched the IRB project on teaching virtual musicianship under the guidance of Dr. Derek Polischuk, and the project evolved into Phase II during the summer 2020 and joined QuaranTeam organized by University of Michigan, Michigan State University and University of Colorado. She joined the Clubhouse in 2021, whereas she is a moderator and speaker in different rooms featuring topics like Music, Entrepreneurship, SEL education, Parenting, and Healing. She made her first YouTube interview with America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Alexander Bui and violinist Jeremy Au. Also, she got featured as a Star speaker on Ivy Spirit Education hosted by Canada-based psychologist Ruby Luo. In 2022, she co-founded a female book club with violinist Mona Tian and actress Yoojung Yang. In her leisure time, she likes reading, writing, spinning and yoga.