BIOGRAPHY

Lydia Michel was born in Buffalo, New York, USA in 1991 and is a classical pianist based in Antwerp, Belgium. She is a former postgraduate student in the "Concertsoloist" and Chamber Music programs (2018-2021) at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, where she studied with Prof. Sergei Edelmann and Prof. Guy Danel. She obtained her Master of Music degree from the School of Music at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis under the professorship of Prof. Lydia Artymiw. Prior to this, she received her Bachelor of Music degree graduating Summa cum laude from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Tamas Ungar. Ms. Michel has performed as a soloist with the Pärnu City Orchestra in Estonia and has given collaborative and solo performances in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Sweden, and throughout the USA. She has also attended masterclasses by artists such as Lilya Zilberstein, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Veda Kaplinksy, Jan Jiracek von Arnim, Daniel Blumenthal, Arthur Greene, and Markus Schirmer. A prize-winner of several competitions and prestigious scholarships, Ms. Michel regularly collaborates with instrumentalists and singers based in Antwerp, Belgium. She is founding member of the MILA Trio with violinist Mafalda Tuna and cellist Duarte Matos and a member of the Lilith Ensemble, which regularly performs and promotes the new compositions of international female composers. As a solo pianist, she is active in Belgium and will release her first solo album of all-French piano works in early 2024. Formerly, she was a member of the Morpheus Duo, Duerinck-Michel Duo, and the Eusebius Quartet. She accompanied the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp's Women's Choir during the years 2018-2020 and regularly collaborates with singers from Antwerp and the Royal Conservatoire. Previously, she also served as principal harpist of the Helena Symphony Orchestra during years 2006-2010 and performed at Carnegie Hall (NYC) as a member of the TCU Wind Symphony in 2011. An active pedagogue, Ms. Michel maintains a private teaching studio in Antwerp and previously held a graduate teaching assistantship at the University of Minnesota.