Marina Iwao  pianist

Marina Iwao is a Japanese-born pianist highly regarded for her nuanced artistry and deep commitment to ensemble playing. An avid chamber musician, she has performed with esteemed artists, including Frank Morelli, David Shifrin, Quatuor Debussy, and Koichiro Yamamoto, with whom she appeared at the 2023 International Trombone Festival. Based on the East Coast, Marina performs regularly at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Bargemusic and appears at festivals and concerts across the United States and internationally. In summer 2025, she will be appearing at Philadelphia International Music Festival and Music from Angel Fire, in New Mexico.

 

A dedicated interpreter of contemporary music, Marina is a member of Random Access Music, a New York City-based collective of composers and performers. In 2023, she premiered Margaret Brouwer’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano with clarinetist Thomas Piercy at the International Clarinet Association’s 50th Anniversary ClarinetFest in Denver.

 

Marina discovered her passion for ensemble playing in high school, accompanying friends long before she encountered the term “collaborative piano.” She earned her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School, studying with Jonathan Feldman and Dr. Lydia Brown. She spent summers at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Music Academy of the West and served as a fellow and coordinator at the Yale School of Music from 2022 to 2024.

 

Committed to education, Marina has taught at the New England Music Camp and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. She currently serves as a staff pianist at The Juilliard School and Kaufman Music Center and as chamber music faculty at the School for Strings in New York City.