Bios
Short:
Yael is a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player with experience touring, recording, and performing across both commercial and classical settings. Yael graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Psychology and Information Sciences, while also having pursued a rigorous performance curriculum through private lessons with Raymond Mase at the Juilliard School.
Notably, she was the principal trumpet player of the New York Youth Symphony from 2017-2021, where she made her Carnegie Hall soloist debut on the world premiere of Ryan Lindveit’s Close Up at a Distance, performed on CNN with Billy Ray Cyrus, toured internationally in Spain, and was featured on the Grammy-winning album Works by Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, and Jessie Montgomery.
After graduating from Columbia, Yael spent a year performing trumpet in the First National Tour of the comedy musical Tootsie, where she relished the opportunity to bring joy and laughter to audiences every night. Currently based in New York City, she is actively freelancing in both commercial and classical settings while pursuing an Artist Diploma at OAcademy as well as working in the impact investing sector.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Yael is a passionate steward for arts equity. She spends her free time mentoring emerging female brass players through Maestra, and sharing her weekly newsletter via Substack called Eat Play Love which blends musings in music, food, and life. With a deep commitment to lifting others as she advances in a historically underrepresented field, Yael is driven to make meaningful change while continuing to create inspiring music and embrace new opportunities.
Medium:
Yael is a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player with experience touring, recording, and performing across both commercial and classical settings. In addition to her performance career, she is a social entrepreneur, writer, podcast host, arts administrator, and advocate for arts equity and activism.
Yael graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Psychology and Information Sciences, while also pursuing a rigorous performance curriculum through ensembles and private lessons with Raymond Mase at the Juilliard School.
From 2017 to 2021, she served as the principal trumpet player of the New York Youth Symphony, where she was a soloist at Carnegie Hall for the world premiere of Ryan Lindveit’s Close Up at a Distance, performed on CNN with Billy Ray Cyrus, toured internationally in Spain, and was featured on the Grammy-winning album Works by Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, and Jessie Montgomery. During this period, she was also the principal trumpet of the Columbia University Orchestra and served as both a soloist and Director of Global Operations for the Back to Bach Project, a musical outreach initiative aimed at inspiring children worldwide with a passion for classical music.
After graduating from Columbia, Yael spent a year performing trumpet in the First National Tour of the comedy musical Tootsie, where she relished the opportunity to bring joy and laughter to audiences every night. Currently based in New York City, she is actively freelancing in both commercial and classical settings while pursuing an Artist Diploma at OAcademy and working in the impact investing sector.
Yael’s recent performances include subbing on the Mean Girls national tour, playing in a production of Dreamgirls at the White Plains Performing Arts Center, as well as completing a residency at The Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH, for a production of Oliver!. She has also played in community, and school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Into the Woods, Chicago, Pippin, Anyone Can Whistle, and The Hello Girls. Yael has remained active in the classical sphere as well, having performed with ensembles including Camerata Notturna, Chelsea Symphony, String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Hora Decima Brass, Calliope Brass, New York Classical Players, Schiller Choir, and Richmond County Orchestra.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Yael is a passionate steward for arts equity. She was a programming intern at Maestra, a nonprofit that serves female and nonbinary musicians in the musical theater industry, where she currently remains an active member of the community through attending community-building events, as well as mentoring emerging brass players. Yael is also an avid writer, and shares a weekly newsletter via Substack called Eat Play Love which blends musings in music, food, and life. She is also the creator and host of the podcast The Brass Ceiling, where she interviews primarily female and non-binary musicians about their journeys in the industry. Through thought-provoking conversations, she aims to explore ways to foster greater diversity and accessibility in the arts. With a deep commitment to lifting others as she advances in a historically underrepresented field, Yael is driven to make meaningful change while continuing to create inspiring music and embrace new opportunities.
Long:
Yael is a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player with experience touring, recording, and performing across both commercial and classical settings. In addition to her performance career, she is a social entrepreneur, writer, podcast host, arts administrator, and advocate for arts equity and activism.
Yael graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Psychology and Information Sciences, while also pursuing a rigorous performance curriculum through ensembles and private lessons with Raymond Mase at the Juilliard School.
From 2017 to 2021, she served as the principal trumpet player of the New York Youth Symphony, where she was a soloist at Carnegie Hall for the world premiere of Ryan Lindveit’s Close Up at a Distance, performed on CNN with Billy Ray Cyrus, toured internationally in Spain, and was featured on the Grammy-winning album Works by Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, and Jessie Montgomery. During this period, she was also the principal trumpet of the Columbia University Orchestra and served as both a soloist and Director of Global Operations for the Back to Bach Project, a musical outreach initiative aimed at inspiring children worldwide with a passion for classical music.
After graduating from Columbia, Yael spent a year performing trumpet in the First National Tour of the comedy musical Tootsie, where she relished the opportunity to bring joy and laughter to audiences every night coming out of the pandemic. Currently based in New York City, she is actively freelancing in both commercial and classical settings while simultaneously pursuing an Artist Diploma at OAcademy as well as working in the impact investing sector. Her experience at OAcademy has been formative in equipping Yael with world-class performance training, leadership development, and industry preparation. She will be graduating from the program in June, and will be capping off the experience with an orchestral residency in Monterrey, Mexico.
Yael’s recent performances include subbing on the Mean Girls national tour, playing in a production of Dreamgirls at the White Plains Performing Arts Center, as well as completing a residency at The Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH, for a production of Oliver!. She has also played in community, and school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Into the Woods, Chicago, Pippin, Anyone Can Whistle, and The Hello Girls. Yael has remained active in the classical sphere as well, having performed with ensembles including Camerata Notturna, Chelsea Symphony, String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Hora Decima Brass, Calliope Brass, New York Classical Players, Schiller Choir, and Richmond County Orchestra.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Yael is a passionate steward for arts equity. She was a programming intern at Maestra, a nonprofit that serves female and nonbinary musicians in the musical theater industry, where she currently remains an active member of the community through attending community-building events, as well as mentoring emerging brass players. Yael is also an avid writer, and shares a weekly newsletter via Substack called Eat Play Love which blends musings in music, food, and life. She is also the creator and host of the podcast The Brass Ceiling, where she interviews primarily female and non-binary musicians about their journeys in the industry. Through thought-provoking conversations, she aims to explore ways to foster greater diversity and accessibility in the arts. With a deep commitment to lifting others as she advances in a historically underrepresented field,
Yael is currently in the early stages of blending her background in performance, impact investing, and community building to launch a cutting-edge platform that leverages AI analytics and dynamic text generation to empower arts nonprofits with the tools to better understand, share, and scale their impact. This platform enables organizations in the arts, education, and culture sectors collect and manage impact data seamlessly, uncover actionable insights, and elevate their storytelling. From improving grant writing and fundraising efforts to enhancing volunteer engagement and crafting captivating reports, this platform is the ultimate tool for transforming arts and cultural work into a powerful, narrative-driven impact story.
Overall, Yael is a versatile trumpet player and storyteller who combines artistic excellence with a commitment to social impact, using her unique experiences to uplift marginalized voices, push boundaries in performance and self-expression, and pursue social enterprises and creative endeavors that aim to push the arts as a whole forward. Her ability to navigate adversity with creativity, resourcefulness, and a sense of humor allows her to connect with diverse audiences and bring fresh perspectives to the arts. Her creativity, resilience, and passion for arts equity make her a powerful force for innovation in the industry.