NSMS is pleased to welcome Ms. Yael Weiss to the faculty!
Ms. Weiss writes, "I love the atmosphere of the school and the vision of the program. I can’t wait to get to know the students!"
Acclaimed as a musician of “consummate artistry” (Washington Post), award-winning pianist Yael Weiss is a captivating presence on the concert scene. Singled out for her visionary interpretations of surpassing depth, immediacy and communicative power, she is active as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, recording artist, and educator. Her New York recital debut was acclaimed by the New York Times as “remarkably powerful and intense… fine technique and musicianship in the service of an arresting array of music.”
Ms. Weiss holds a Professional Studies Diploma and Master of Music Degree from Mannes College of Music in New York City, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Her principal teachers include Richard Goode, Edward Aldwell, and Leon Fleisher. Ms. Weiss has been honored with distinguished prizes from the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition. She is a recipient of the Presser Award as well as grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
An avid educator, Ms. Weiss has presented Masterclasses for top institutions worldwide including the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Peabody Institute, Princeton University, New York University, Oxford University, Tel Aviv University, the Changwon International Festival in Korea, and more. She has created “Classical Minutes”, a popular Podcast offering fresh resources for practicing musicians and students. Ms. Weiss has served on the faculties of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, UC Santa Barbara, and the Heifetz Institute. She maintains an active private studio in New York City. She presented a PEDx talk as part of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) 2021.
Ms. Weiss has appeared as soloist with many international orchestras, including the Prague Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra and the Brazil National Symphony. She is also in demand at international music festivals, such as Marlboro, Ravinia, City of London, Banff, Parry Sound, and Caramoor.
Ms. Weiss’ current tour programs include her major new initiative, “32 Bright Clouds: Beethoven Conversations Around the World”, a global music-commissioning, performing and recording project (32brightclouds.com). Ms. Weiss has been interviewed about the 32 Bright Clouds project and the power of music to express our unity and shared humanity on NPR’s “All Things Considered” as well as on “A Tempo,” “Between the Keys,” and multiple other radio shows and podcasts. She presented a 12-hour live marathon on YouTube celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday and the new works from five continents.
Ms. Weiss’s discography encompasses solo piano works by over a dozen composers on the Koch International label. Audiophile Magazine described her Schumann CD as “Sensitive, scholarly renditions of alternative Schumann repertory, each a labor of love.” In 2021, Toccata Classics released her premiere recording of Aviv, Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, written for her by composer Joel Feigin.
Ms. Weiss is also devoted to chamber music, and tours worldwide with the Weiss-Kaplan-Stumpf Trio. The trio’s CDs on the Bridge Records label include recordings of Brahms, Smetana, Chihara, Lansky, Lerdahl, Schoenfield, Chen Yi and Auerbach. Slated for release on Bridge in 2022 is the group’s new recordings of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Trios.
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