XU-KNOPP DUO

Jingjing Xu and Christopher Knopp have been working together since 2021, when they met as students of Michael McMahon at McGill University. The duo has competed together in several competitions, including the prestigious Mirjam Helin Voice Competition in 2024, at which Jingjing was awarded first prize. They have also performed in recitals for the Canadian Opera Company, the Société d’Art Vocale in Montreal, the Oasis Musicales recital society, and the Organ Night and Aria Festival in Espoo, Finland.
Both members of the duo were trained at McGill University and worked primarily with Michael McMahon, Annamaria Popescu and Esther Gonthier. They attended the Franz Schubert Institut in Austria in 2023, and have also studied with Graham Johnson, James Vaughan, Jeff Cohen, Francois le Roux, Alessandro Vitalli and Daniela Barcelona.
Christopher and Jingjing are comfortable in both French Mélodie and German Lieder, and have been noted for their interpretations of songs by Ravel, Debussy and Schumann. They have also performed songs and song cycles written in Finnish, Chinese, English and Italian, and take pleasure in finding the beauty of a wide variety of languages and cultures in their music-making.
The duo currently studies at the Accademia del Maggio in Firenze, Italy, and has engagements for the 2024/25 season in Espoo, Breggenz and Montreal.