Michelle Mares
Position
Music Performance Instructor
Piano
Contact
Credentials
BMus (piano performance) Mozarteum University Salzburg Austria
Courses taught at UVic
- MUS 140/145-440/445: Individual tuition (piano)
Biography
A native of Vancouver, Canada, Michelle Mares began her musical studies at the age of 4 at Vancouver Academy of Music. She amassed a great deal of performing experience as a child prodigy and drew the attention of many notable musicians, including András Schiff, Ivan Moravec and Gaby Casadesus.
Ms. Mares has enjoyed the rare privilege of studying with some of the world’s most eminent musicians including Canada’s own Jane Coop, Leon Fleisher, Karl Heinz Kämmerling, György Kurtág, and Alfred Brendel. Her approach to music is deeply rooted in the treasured legacy of her teachers, and her own teaching is deeply influenced by it.
She has won many competitions including the Geneva International Competition, CBC Young Performer’s Competition, the Hamburg Steinway Competition, the Montreal Symphony Competition, and the S.A.C.E.M. Prize at the Casadesus International Competition. She has performed internationally as a soloist and a chamber musician for most of her adult life and draws from a deep reservoir of professional experience.
Since 2008, Ms. Mares has been based in Victoria and Vancouver and has taught regularly at both the University of Victoria and at the University of British Columbia in addition to her private piano studio. She is a popular guest adjudicator at regional competitions and festivals and is frequently invited to perform and give masterclasses.
Ms. Mares has enjoyed the rare privilege of studying with some of the world’s most eminent musicians including Canada’s own Jane Coop, Leon Fleisher, Karl Heinz Kämmerling, György Kurtág, and Alfred Brendel. Her approach to music is deeply rooted in the treasured legacy of her teachers, and her own teaching is deeply influenced by it.
She has won many competitions including the Geneva International Competition, CBC Young Performer’s Competition, the Hamburg Steinway Competition, the Montreal Symphony Competition, and the S.A.C.E.M. Prize at the Casadesus International Competition. She has performed internationally as a soloist and a chamber musician for most of her adult life and draws from a deep reservoir of professional experience.
Since 2008, Ms. Mares has been based in Victoria and Vancouver and has taught regularly at both the University of Victoria and at the University of British Columbia in addition to her private piano studio. She is a popular guest adjudicator at regional competitions and festivals and is frequently invited to perform and give masterclasses.