About Me.

Born and raised in Yunnan, China, Mingyan (Sally) Yu is a rising conductor from a versatile background. Yu just completed her post-graduate diploma study at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (mdw) in Vienna, Austria, conducting the Pro Arte Orchestra. Yu once embarked on a promising career path as an integrated circuit designer in 5G industry after graduating from Cornell and Columbia University in U.S.A. with BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering. She then worked as a full-time Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuited designer and decided to turn her passion for classical music into lifelong career pursuit after taking conducting lessons with Prof. Charles Peltz at New England Conservatory and Dr. Mark Shapiro at the Juilliard School.
 
Yu completed her second master’s degree in conducting from New England Conservatory (NEC), assisting and working with the NEC Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and the Conductor's Orchestra. She has attended conducting workshops and festivals worldwide with Maestros Nicolás Pasquet, Johannes Schlaefli, Jorma Panula, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Neil Varon, Jim Ross, James Lowe, Mark Gibson, among others. Yu is also a doctoral candidate in orchestral conducting at Michigan State University in USA under Octavio Más-Arocas, assisting and working with the MSU Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Opera, and Musique 21. 
 
Yu has appeared in Asia, North America, and Europe, conducting the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Youth Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Stara Zagora State Opera Orchestra, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, Orchestra del Teatro Cilea e del Coro, Myrtus Festival Orquesta, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, PRSIMA Festival Orchestra, and Denver Philharmonic, among many others. Yu was one of the twelve participants at the prestigious 2nd Hiroshima International Conducting Competition in Hiroshima, Japan; semifinalist of the 2025 Orchestra’s Conductor Competition in Bucharest, Romania and the 2026 Siemens - Hallé International Conducting Competition in Manchester, UK; runner-up at the 2023 Denver International Conducting Competition; and won second prize at the Sixth Opera de Baugé Conducting Competition in Baugé, France and Kurt Redel International Conducting Competition in Saitama, Japan.​ 

Yu is especially proud of her work with the Dearborn Youth Symphony in the 2023-2024 season. As someone with prior experience in a non-music field,  Yu has a great passion for working with young adults and amateur musicians, as she wishes to kindle or help sustain a life-long appreciation for the musical arts in their minds, and that they would always turn to music as a sanctuary when other parts of life get challenging.

Yu attended La Jolla Country Day School Upper School from 2010-2012, and is also a photographer and certified rescue diver.