Japanese-born pianist Marina Iwao is a dedicated chamber musician actively
performing on the East Coast. Her diverse repertoire, ranging from classical to
contemporary music, has been showcased in prestigious venues, including
Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Barge Music, and the Across Fukuoka
Symphony Hall.
Marina’s love for chamber music began in her high school days when she
found joy in accompanying her friends during their juries, not yet aware of the term “collaborative piano.” After earning her solo piano degrees at Longy School of Music and Mannes School of Music, she participated as a collaborative piano fellow at the Bowdoin International Festival, which solidified her decision to pursue a career as a collaborative pianist. Since then, she was named a collaborative piano fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 2018 and 2019, and completed her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at the Juilliard School under the mentorship of Jonathan Feldman and Dr. Lydia Brown. Most recently, from 2022 to 2024, she was a collaborative piano Fellow at the Yale School of Music, where she also took on the role of Collaborative piano coordinator.
Marina has had the privilege of collaborating with renowned musicians such as Frank Morelli, David Shifrin, Koichiro Yamamoto, and Quatuor Debussy. As a member of Random Access Music, a New York City-based composer and performer collective, she frequently appears in contemporary music recitals
and enjoys premiering works by living composers. Notably, in 2023. she premiered Margaret Brouwer’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano with Thomas Piercy at Clarinetfest in Denver, CO, celebrating the International Clarinet
Association’s 50th Anniversary.
In addition to her performance career, Marina has taught as a chamber music coach and collaborative pianist at summer festivals including the New England Music Camp Chamber Music Intensive and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. Currently, she is a staff pianist at the Juilliard School and Kaufman Music School. She is also a chamber music faulty at the School for Strings, where she inspires young musicians with her love for ensemble playing.
