Jacob Ertl

Biography

Pianist Jacob Ertl has performed extensively in the United States and throughout Canada, China, France, Israel, Mexico, Panama, Serbia, and Spain. Performance highlights include solo recital debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, and Chicago radio's "Live from WFMT" concert series. Other recent engagements include the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space (NYC), Chihuahua International Music Festival (Mexico), Musicarte Festival (Panama) and the Oviedo and Gijon International Music Festivals (Spain). As a concerto soloist, he has been featured with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, New York State Ballet Orchestra, and Keystone Winds, among others. Recently, Ertl released the world premiere recording of Fisher Tull’s Piano Concerto on Klavier Records, distributed worldwide by Naxos.

A sought-after performer and artist teacher, Ertl regularly gives concert and masterclass tours nationally and internationally. He is frequently invited as the featured guest artist at conferences, including the New York Music Teachers Association State Conference, Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association State Conference, Dakota Sky International Piano Festival (South Dakota) and the 11th World Piano Conference (Novi Sad, Serbia). Each summer, Ertl organizes a recital and masterclass tour in China, where he spends one month visiting various cities, universities, and arts high schools. He has also given dozens of recitals and masterclasses at universities across the United States and abroad, including the Colburn School, Penn State University, Isidor Bajić Music School, University of Western Ontario, Shandong and Anqing Normal Universities, Soochow University School of Music, and Shandong University of the Arts.

Ertl is currently a member of two contemporary chamber music ensembles: Ensemble Alla Balena and the Eastern Standard Trio. Recent highlights with Ensemble Alla Balena include performances at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Eastman Artist Series (concerto soloist), and the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. As a founding member of Eastern Standard, he has recorded two commercial albums, commissioned and premiered over twenty new works, and presented annual tours for the past eight seasons. Previously, he was a core member of the Eastman Broadband Ensemble for several seasons, and a guest artist with the Alia Musica Ensemble.

An advocate of music outreach, Ertl was the Artist-in-Residence Fellow for the PianoArts organization for eight years, where he performed hundreds of interactive concerts and developed their education outreach initiatives. Ertl is also in demand as an adjudicator for international, national, and regional competitions, including the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, Pelican International Music Competition, PianoArts North American Competition, World Pianists Association, and MTNA Divisional and State Competitions, among others.

Dr. Ertl’s collegiate students have been prizewinners in competitions, performed concertos with symphony orchestras, attended international summer festivals, and have been accepted into several of the leading graduate programs in piano performance and pedagogy in the US and abroad. He also teaches a select studio of pre-college students who have been consistent top prize winners in competitions, and have given concerto performances in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater.

Ertl currently serves as Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, Associate Professor of Piano, and Performance Program Director at the Nazareth College School of Music in Rochester, NY. He is also the Director of the annual Nazareth College Piano Competition and Coordinator of the annual Piano Pedagogy Workshop. Additionally, Ertl is President of the New York State Music Teachers Association, Chair of the PianoArts Alumni Board, and Visiting Guest Professor of Piano at Shandong Normal University (China). Ertl holds piano performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (BM) and the Eastman School of Music (MM, DMA), where he studied with Robert Shannon and Nelita True, respectively.

Personal website: www.jacobertl.com

School of Music Responsibilities

  • Coordinator of Keyboard Studies
  • Program Director of BM in Music Performance
  • Applied Piano

Education

  • Eastman School of Music, D.M.A., M.M.
  • Oberlin Conservatory of Music, B.M.

Recent Performances

July 16-25, 2024
Artist Roster, Fox River Chamberfest
Performances TBA
Appleton, WI

June 9, 2024
Guest Artist, Society for Chamber Music in Rochester
4:00pm, Beston Hall, Glazer Music Performance Center
Rochester, NY

April 29-30, 2024
Artist Residency – Concerto, Solo, Workshops
w/ Eastern Standard Trio
Valley Central HS
Montgomery, NY

April 21, 2024
Concerto Performance with Eastern Standard Trio
IUP Community Band, Fisher Auditorium
Indiana, PA
Program: “Praise the Rain” Concerto for Horn, Tuba, and Piano by Stephen Shewan, commissioned by Eastern Standard

April 14, 2024
Piano Trio Concert, Artist Recital Series
3:00pm, Wilmot Recital Hall, Nazareth University School of Music
Rochester, NY
w/ Tigran Vardanyan (violin) and Benjamin Krug (cello)
Program includes Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8

March 28, 2024
Guest Artist Concert, Ensemble Alla Balena
7:30pm, Hatch Hall, Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY

March 16-20, 2024
MTNA National Conference, NYS President
Guest Performance, Presentation on Cecile Chaminade
Atlanta, GA

March 10, 2024
Concert, Women in Music Festival
3:00pm, Beston Hall, Glazer Music Performance Center
Rochester, NY

March 9, 2024
Judge, Sonatina Festival
Artist Pianos
Syracuse, NY

February 17, 2024
Judge – Setnor Outstanding Artists Competition
1:00 – 6:00pm, Setnor School of Music, Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY

February 16, 2024
Concerto Soloist, Nazareth University Wind Symphony
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
7:30pm, Beston Hall, Glazer Music Performance Center
Rochester, NY

January 10-11, 2024
Judge, CMM/Symphoria Youth Concerto Competition
Syracuse, NY

December 2, 2023
Triple Concerto by Stephan Shewan with Eastern Standard Trio
University of Rochester Wind Ensemble
8:00pm, Upper Strong, University of Rochester
Rochester, NY

December 2, 2023
Triple Concerto by Stephen Shewan (World Premiere) with Eastern Standard Trio
2:00pm, NYSSMA Conference, Fairport HS Wind Ensemble
Rochester, NY

November 30 – December 3, 2023
Guest Artist, NYSSMA Conference, Eastern Standard Trio
World Premiere, Concerto for Horn, Tuba, Piano Trio by Stephen Shewan
Details TBA
Rochester, NY

November 7, 2023
Masterclass – SUNY – Onondaga Community College
1:30pm – Frederick Marvin and Ernst Schuh Recital Hall
Syracuse, NY

November 4-8, 2023
Judge, Maryland State MTNA Competitions, Senior Division
Virtual, MD

October, 27, 2023
Triple Concerto by Todd Goodman, World Premiere
Altoona Symphony Orchestra
Eastern Standard Trio
7:30pm, Mishler Theater
Altoona, PA

October 26, 2023
Outreach Performance
1:00pm, Hollidaysburg Area High School
Hollidaysburg, PA

October 26, 2023
Outreach Performance
10:00am, Altoona Area High School
Altoona, PA

October 25, 2023
Outreach Performances (3)
10:00am – 1:30pm, Bellwood Area High School
Bellwood, PA

October 22, 2023
Nazareth University Artist Recital Series – Piano Faculty Duos
3:00pm, Wilmot Recital Hall
Rochester, NY

October 14, 2023
NYSMTA Virtual Symposium
NYS President and member of organizational committee
Virtual, NY

October 10, 2023
Guest Lecture, Eastman School of Music
Arts Leadership Course: Training Future Music Faculty
1:30pm, Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY

October 1, 2023
Director, Nazareth University Piano Competition
Rochester, NY

September 8-10, 2023
MTNA Leadership Summit, NYS President
Cincinnati, OH

June 26-27, 2023
Coordinator, Piano Pedagogy Workshop
Nazareth University School of Music
Rochester, NY
Featured Clinician: Peter Mack

May 27, 2023
Judge – Student Achievement Program, NYSMTA District 12
Nazareth College School of Music
Rochester, NY

May 5, 2023
Judge – Federation Piano Festival
4:30pm – 6:30pm, Artist Pianos
Syracuse, NY

April 23, 2023
Judge – Gold Cup Piano Festival
Geneva, NY

April 4-13, 2023
Judge – Pelican International Music Competition

Spotlights

    Jacob Ertl on piano, 2020 MTNA/NYSMTA