Esther Ning Yau is an active and versatile pianist based in the New England region. Known for her work in chamber music, Esther’s expertise extends to the realms of solo piano, orchestral piano and even other keyboard instruments such as harpsichord and celesta.
Esther has been featured in concerts at Jordan Hall, Emmanuel Music Chamber Series, Harvard Musical Association Concert Series, Harvard-Epworth Concert Series, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Concert Series, Longy SeptemberFest, WCRB Live at Copley, Newport Symposium, and Bar Harbor Music Festival. Esther has also appeared in numerous concert venues further afield, including Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Museum of Arts in Puerto Rico, Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium in Cremona, Esplanade Recital Studio in Singapore, National Concert Hall in Taipei, and Government House in her hometown Hong Kong.
An adventurous musician, Esther has performed many young composers’ works (such as Garrett Byrnes’ Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra and Derek Bermel’s Tied Shifts for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano and Percussion), as well as works by lesser-known composers (such as Fanny Mendelssohn’s Piano Quartet), in addition to the standard repertoire.
In recent years, Esther has been programming complete cycles of works. To date, she has successfully performed cycles of Beethoven’s piano trios, violin sonatas and cello sonatas. The upcoming season will feature cycles of Schumann’s piano trios, violin sonatas, and cello-piano works.
Esther is a faculty member of Longy School of Music of Bard College and New England Conservatory’s Preparatory and Continuing Education departments. In the summer, She also teaches at the Cremona International Music Academy in Italy.
Esther Ning Yau holds a double Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Patricia Zander and Irma Vallecillo. Honors received include fellowships from International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy, UCLA Song Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West and Yellow Barn Music Festival. Esther is also a member of the New England Conservatory Alumni Council.