Praised for her, “taut and impassioned performance” by the New York Times, pianist Ning
Yu performs with vigor and dedication for traditional and repertoire of the 20th and 21st
century on stages across the United States, Europe and Asia. Ning brings virtuosity and
adventurous spirit to a wide range of music, both in solo performances and in
collaborations with some of today’s most distinguished creative artists.
Ning has given dozens of world premieres by composers such as Tristan Murail, Steve
Reich, Terry Riley, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Enno Poppe, and collaborated with artists
such as Sufjan Stevens, Glenn Kotche, Pete Swanson, and Bryce Dessner. She has performed
with ensembles such as Bang on A Can All- Stars, ICE, Talea Ensemble, Signal Ensemble,
counter)induction, and Yarn/Wire.
Ning performs in concert halls, international festivals, universities, as well as non-
traditional performance spaces. These venues include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall,
Museum of Modern Art , the Kennedy Center, Miller Theater, Guggenheim Museum,
Brooklyn Academy of Music, Monday Evening Concerts in Los Angles, Library of Congress,
Issue Project Room, Pioneer Works, Contempo Concert Series at University of Chicago,
Kimmel Center, Köln Philharmonie in Germany, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, Kwe- Tsing
Theater in Hong Kong, Spoleto Festival, Rainy Day Festival in Luxembourg, Ultima Festival
in Norway, Transit Festival in Belgium, the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland,
Singapore International Arts Festival, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia
University, Yale University, Brown University, and Eastman School of Music.
In theater, Ning performed with Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse — a critically acclaimed
production directed by Lee Breuer. She can be seen in the production’s feature-film
version, produced by ARTE France. Ning has also collaborated with director Moisés
Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project on the development of the Tony Award–
nominated play 33 Variations.
Ning is the winner of the Boucourechliev Prize at the Ninth International Concours de
Orléans in France — a competition devoted to piano repertoire from 1900 to today.
Together with other members of Yarn/Wire, the first-prize winner of Open Category of the International M-Prize Chamber Music Competition, and the “40 under 40 award” of the
Stony Brook University for outstanding alumni.
Ning is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (B.M. And M.M.A) and Stony Brook
University (D.M.A.). She is assistant professor of piano and chamber music at the George
Washington University in Washington, D.C.