A Desperate Bid to Impress You…

Jenny Xu (b.1996) is a Canadian pianist, composer, and educator currently based in New York City. She is an alumna of the Manhattan School of Music (MM ’19, summa cum laude), Berklee College of Music (BM ’16, summa cum laude), as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT ‘13, with honors). In addition to regular appearances as both a leader and sideman on the NYC jazz scene, she presently serves on the faculties of several distinguished institutions such as the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Calhoun School, Larchmont Music Academy, and Smith School of Music. In 2023 alone, Jenny was a semifinalist in the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Piano Competition (formerly Thelonious Monk Piano Competition), Rubato International Piano Competition, Next Jazz Legacy Fellowship cohort, and Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition (formerly Great American Jazz Piano Competition).

Best known for her work with her brain-child trio: Friendship, Jenny’s group boasts two critically acclaimed tours and two albums of her original music: Project Sock Retrieval (October 2020) and Ghost Stories (February 2021). In 2018, she self-released her debut and sophomore albums: Standards Vol. 1 and Live at the Silk Purse. Both of which feature Canadian heavyweights André Lachance (bass) and Bernie Arai (drums) as sidemen. Multi-Juno Award winner Campbell Ryga (sax) makes a special guest appearance on Standards Vol. 1. 

Jenny is a recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the MSM Outreach Award (2019), Stingray Rising Star Award (2018), Downbeat Award (2018), Berklee Jazz Performance Award recipient (2016), Dal Richard’s Scholarship (2014), Robert Share Scholarship (2014), Yamaha Kando Award (2014), a full scholarship to Berklee college (2014) and was the first individual ever offered a full renewable scholarship to Humber College in Toronto.

Throughout her career, she has had the immense privilege of receiving mentorship from Fred Hersch, Aaron Goldberg, Buster Williams, Ingrid Jensen, George Garzone, Eddie Gomez, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, Dave Liebman, Paquito D’Rivera, and Arturo O’Farrill. As a performer, Jenny has shared the stage with the likes of Buster Williams, George Garzone, and Cándido Camero and has opened for jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock and Harold Mabern.