Michelle Marie Santiago was born in Edmonton in 1982 and began her music studies at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music (Early Childhood Program) in 1984. She was accepted into the piano studio of Dr. Ernesto Lejano in 1993. Michelle received her ARCT Diploma (Piano Performance) from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) in 1998 and a Bachelor of Music with distinction from the University of Alberta in 2003. Currently, she is a first year student in the Doctor of Music Program of the University of Montreal studying with Marc Durand and Paul Stewart. She has also studied with John Perry at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado and with Julian Martin at the Banff Centre for the Arts. In addition, she has participated in master classes with world-renowned performers and pedagogues such as Angela Cheng, Anton Kuerti, Thomas Schumacher and Kyoko Hashimoto. Michelle has also had the privilege of working with Jacques Desprès, Joachim Segger, Jean-David Coen and Antoinette Perry.
Michelle won the University Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 1999 and was the featured soloist at Music Makers II at the Winspear Centre for Music where she performed Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 in F minor. She is also a prizewinner at the Edmonton Kiwanis, Alberta Provincial Music Festivals, ARMTA/AMEF Provincial and the CFMTA National Piano Competitions as well as a national finalist at the Canadian Music Competitions.
Michelle has appeared in various recitals and performances at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton, Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall in Calgary, Alberta Government House, Edmonton City Hall, Alberta College Muttart Hall, Grande Prairie Regional College Performing Arts Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Kilburn and Eastman Halls in Rochester, N.Y., Salle Claude Champagne, Pollack Hall and le chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, in Montreal, Salle Gilles-Lefebvre at the Orford Arts Centre and Rolston Recital Hall at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Michelle is a recipient of numerous prizes and scholarships including an Orford Arts Centre Prize, Banff Centre Scholarships, Aspen Music School Scholarships, University of Montreal Scholarships, an Ernesto B. Lejano Scholarship in Piano Performance, Marek Jablonski Awards in Music, a Tommy Banks Prize in Music, a Richard Eaton Scholarship in Music, an Abigal Edith Condell Memorial Scholarship in Music, a William and Mary Hawrysh Memorial Leadership Scholarship, Beryl Barns Memorial Undergraduate Awards, Universiade ‘83 Scholarships, a Faculty of Arts Achievement Award, Bessie Brooks Winspear Scholarships, Peace River Pioneer Memorial Scholarships in Music, Jason Lang, Louise McKinney, Alexander Rutherford Academic Scholarships, Arts Graduate Scholarship from the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund, Winspear Foundation/Edmonton Community Development Fund Study Grants, Anne Burrows Foundation for Young Musicians Scholarships and Alberta Foundation for the Arts Grants.
Michelle is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and has served as president of the University of Alberta Music Students Association from 2001-2002.