ABOUT
“Ariel Mo’s interpretation creates the first highlight of the evening, her expressive performance a masterful example of rigor and virtuosity… This terse performance has a considerable visceral and emotional impact.”
— Johannes Birringer (Houston)
“… endlessly positive attitude, extraordinary technique, sincere commitment to every moment … and an exceptional courage to confront the unknown and unborn ideas and sounds.”
— Dongryul Lee (Chicago)
Ariel Mo is a Chinese-Canadian pianist currently based in Ithaca, NY. Her performances reflect a ceaseless curiosity for new sounds and collaborations, encompassing a range of solo, chamber, as well as interdisciplinary projects and a range of styles from traditional pianism to contemporary techniques. Recent events include a four-day festival at Cornell University for the 150th anniversary of Charles Ives, the premiere of a new work by Dongryul Lee, as well as the New York City debut of Trio Gaia. Ariel's performances have taken her to diverse locales such as Boston’s Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and Cutler Majestic Theatre; the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art; Munich’s Residenz Palace; Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue; and Vancouver’s Chan Shun Concert Hall. While in Boston, Ariel performed frequently on the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s “What I Hear” Prelude Concerts. She has been a soloist with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra (Schumann) and the New England Conservatory Philharmonia with Hugh Wolff (Messiaen), and also appeared alongside Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth in the 2019 Robert Mapplethorpe tribute, Triptych. In May 2023, Ariel created and directed WATERx, a hybrid concert and art exhibit examining our irrevocable relationship with water. At Cornell, Ariel is a first year DMA student in Keyboard Studies with Xak Bjerken. She holds a GD, MM, and a BM in piano performance & music history from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with pianists Alessio Bax, Pavel Nersessian, Stephen Drury, Bruce Brubaker, and Victor Rosenbaum.