Michelle Teh has been appointed as senior vice president at UMG division Global Classics & Jazz (GCJ).
With over 20 years’ industry experience, Michelle Teh has worked closely with numerous classical and jazz artists, having run international marketing campaigns at UMG for the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Ólafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Ott, from 2012 to 2016.
She returns to GCJ from UMG’s global priorities team, where she has spent the last three years working on international campaigns for artists including Billie Eilish, Sam Smith and The Weeknd.
Teh’s experience includes a close working relationship with Disney Music Group, including the collaboration on the Encanto soundtrack. She also played a key role in the launch of Voyage, ABBA’s first new album in over 40 years.
The appointment comes as Verve Records’ 23-year-old jazz star Samara Joy was named Best New Artist at the Grammys, alongside critical and commercial success for the division’s signings.
The roster Teh will oversee encompasses artists from Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Capitol’s Blue Note, Verve, Hyperion and ECM. This includes Ludovico Einaudi, Norah Jones, Lang Lang, Gregory Porter, Jon Batiste, Víkingur Olafsson, Domi & JD Beck and Lise Davidsen.
Dickon Stainer, president & CEO of Global Classics & Jazz, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Michelle to our division and am thrilled to have such an experienced, forward-thinking and revered executive on board, who can further drive the prosperity of our world-renowned and upcoming artists. Michelle has a brilliant track record of attracting diverse audience sectors to different types of music, and her experience will help us build on our successes so far.”
Michelle has a brilliant track record of attracting diverse audience sectors to different types of music
Dickon Stainer
Michelle Teh said: “I am excited to bring my global experience to this role. Classical music and jazz have the power to reach audiences far beyond their immediate fanbases – and through the wealth of platforms and the different ways we connect in the modern world, there is more opportunity than ever ahead of us. Working together with UMG’s phenomenal artists and our fantastic team will be an absolute privilege.”
The appointment follows the departure of Sam Jackson, who left his role as Global Classics & Jazz EVP earlier this year to become controller of BBC Radio 3.
Michelle Teh started her career in the music industry in Hong Kong, where she worked across nine Asia Pacific music markets. In 2006, she moved to Singapore to work on Formula One Racing’s inaugural F1 Rocks Live Music broadcast event, a partnership with Universal Music Group which featured Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt.
In 2012 she joined UMG’s London office, as part of the classics international team working with Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and Mercury Classics on artist campaigns including Tori Amos, Ólafur Arnalds, Alice Sara Ott and Joseph Calleja. In this role, she led the international campaign for Andrea Bocelli’s Grammy-nominated Cinema, including the music video of Bocelli and Ariana Grande performing E Piu Ti Penso, which has been viewed over 60 million times.
Teh moved to UMG’s global priorities team in 2016 as senior marketing director, working with labels such as Capitol, Def Jam, EMI, Interscope, Island, Polydor and Republic, on global campaigns for artists including Rihanna, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Sting and Sam Smith. In this role, she worked on Billie Eilish’s 2019 breakthrough album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?, which went on to win five Grammys.
In 2019, Teh became vice president, global priorities, leading the team out of UMG’s London office and launching ABBA’s first studio album in 40 years, Voyage. She took on additional responsibilities working with Disney Music Group and in 2022 led on Lin Manuel Miranda’s Grammy-winning Encanto soundtrack.
PHOTO: Ivan Weiss
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