Collaborative pianist Jarod Yap always strives to portray music as a human experience.
About
In his 2024-2025 season, Jarod is a SongStudio 2025 artist, participant in Music for Food, and masterclass teacher at the Brooklyn Music School. He looks forward to regularly collaborating with musicians from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Houston Symphony Orchestra, concertizing with soprano Gemma Nha and violinist Sam Parrini, and performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra. He has performed at outstanding venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Recent highlights include working with Hilary Hahn on her collaboration with the Juilliard Dance Division, masterclasses with Susan Graham and Angelo Xiang Yu, receiving the 2024 Virginia Allison Award in Collaborative Piano, performing at The Juilliard 2023 Convocation, competing as a finalist in the Duo Competition at the Music Academy of the West, and receiving Second Place in the J. Earl Lee Collaborative Piano Competition 2023. He has collaborated with tenor Michael Butler, cellists Amy Barston and Horatio Contreras, bassist Kebra Seyoun-Charles, and singer Kanisha Feliciano among others. Over the summer, he was faculty at BRAVO International Chamber Music Workshop and Lyra Music Festival. At Juilliard, he is the studio pianist for violinist Aretta Zhulla in the College Division and for cellist Amy Barston and violist Sophie Arbuckle in the Pre-College Division. He frequently assists Betsy Bishop, Bill Burden, Kevin Short, Ron Copes, Nathan Hughes, Masao Kawasaki, Danny Phillips, Samuel Rhodes, Carol Rodland, and the ACHT Viola Studio as well.
Early beginnings
Yap began his education at the Yamaha School of Music in Los Angeles, CA before earning his Licentiate’s and Associate’s Diplomas in Piano Performance through the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto with the guidance of Mary Handley in his hometown, Buffalo, NY.
Through accomplishments in the conservatory examinations, Yap performed at Carnegie Hall multiple times on both piano and violin. He also performed as a soloist with the Genesee Symphony Orchestra and Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra.
2021
Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance
Rice University and the Shepherd School of Music
2024
Master’s of Music in Collaborative Piano
The Juilliard School
He furthered his education at Rice University and the Shepherd School of Music with Professor Jeanne Kierman Fischer. Yap graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance with Distinction in Creative Works and Research and on the President’s Honor Roll. As part of the Rice-UT Health Public Health Scholars Program, he received a Master’s of Public Health in Health Promotion and Education with a certificate in Nutrition and Public Health the next year, May 2022. During his fifth year in Houston, Yap studied with Tom Jaber and Desmond Hoebig. In the summers, Yap attended the Music Academy of the West (2023) and Aspen Music Festival (2022) where he studied with Jonathan Feldman, Margaret McDonald, Natasha Kislenko, and Cameron Stowe respectively. He performed in masterclasses for Augustin Hadelich, Augustin Hadelich, JoAnn Falletta, Rita Sloan, Martin Katz, Joseph Conyers, Dominik Wagner, Fabio Bidini, Boris Berman, and Edgar Meyer among others.
Vision Possible Charity Concerts
He is the CEO of Vision Possible Charity Concerts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that organizes charity concerts to enable classical musicians to collectively advocate for meaningful causes. He initiated interactive music outreach projects with the homeless youth in Houston, TX and curated music education programs to local elementary and middle school students.
At Rice, he received the Sviatoslav Richter Fund for Music Outreach on multiple occasions and was the Co-Coordinator of the Just For You! Music Program.
A keen teacher, Yap has taught students aged from 6 years old to retired physicians in Houston, TX, Buffalo, NY, and Dallas, TX. His students have performed at Carnegie Hall and attended Piano Texas Junior and Indiana University Summer Piano Academy. He taught previously as staff at the Annunciation Orthodox School. Yap strives to contribute to the classical music industry by establishing niche systems for classical musicians to gain performance opportunities for increased job stability.
Jarod is the son of Dr. Johnny and Christina Yap and the older brother of Constance Yap.
