J. Y. Song

Raised in Switzerland and the United States, J.Y. Song (MM ’93, DMA ’98, piano) has combined her cross-cultural roots with a curiosity that spans multiple disciplines: music, science, and entrepreneurship.

Song has appeared in concert at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and at the Mostly Mozart Festival in Avery Fisher Hall; at the Théâtre de l’Athénée and Salle Cortot in Paris; at the National Gallery and Kennedy Center; and at Beijing Center for the Performing Arts. She has received the Pro Musicis International Award, the $25,000 Christel Award from the American Pianists Association, the distinction of Pro Piano Artist of the Year, the Sudler Prize for outstanding achievement in the arts from Stanford University, and the Petschek Award. Her recording of Debussy Etudes was distinguished with a Diapason d’Or and designated a “Desert Island Selection” by Gramophone’s International Piano Quarterly.

Song received bachelor's degrees in music and microbiology and immunology (both with distinction and honors) from Stanford University, an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, and a master’s and a doctorate from Juilliard. She as artistic director of the European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) and Classics Abroad piano programs at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, and she has taught piano at Oberlin Conservatory and given master classes in France, China, and the United States, including the Chautauqua Institute. She studied at the Conservatoire de Genève and the Conservatoire de Lausanne with Alexei Golovin, Edouardo Vercelli, and Jean-François Antonioli, and at Juilliard with Jerome Lowenthal. In addition to teaching Leadership & Innovation at Juilliard, she is on the piano faculty of Mannes School of Music. She is also a Steinway Artist.