Jessica Xylina Osborne

Pianist

"a pianist with a refreshing mellowness and poetic touch" - The Washington Post

Jessica Xylina Osborne, a native of San Antonio, Texas, has been playing the piano since she was four years old. She comes from a musical family: her mother, an accomplished pianist herself, was Jessica’s first teacher; her grandfather was a self-taught bluegrass guitarist; and his father played the piano as background music for silent movies.

Jessica has enjoyed an illustrious and diverse career in music. She pursues ambitious projects that reflect creativity in programming with the goal of bringing awareness to social justice issues. She enjoys presenting programs that pair well- known audience favorites with music being written today, in addition to performing works written by composers who have historically been underrepresented or marginalized within the classical music canon.

Jessica has regularly performed with some of the classical music world’s biggest stars, including Hilary Hahn, Ani Kavafian, and Timothy Eddy, among many others. In addition to performing at some of the world’s top concert halls- including Carnegie Hall, the Seoul Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center- she has had the opportunity to perform at many of the world’s most unique and interesting venues: some of her favorites include the Walton Gardens in Ischia, Italy; the Louvre Museum in Paris; and the Folly Theater in Kansas City.

Jessica received her bachelor of music degree in piano performance from the Juilliard School and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; her master of music degree from Rice University; and her Doctorate of Musical Arts from Yale University. Her teachers and mentors include her mother Patricia Osborne, Dr. Marjorie Lee, Seymour Lipkin, Emile Naoumoff, Jon Kimura Parker, and Claude Frank.

Jessica is an experienced and enthusiastic pedagogue. She has been teaching piano for over 20 years, privately as well as within an academic setting. She regularly offers guest masterclasses and recitals at colleges and universities nationwide. She is currently on the piano faculties at Longy School of Music of Bard College and Third Street Music School Settlement. She was Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano at the Sam Houston State University School of Music during the 2019- 2020 school year.

In her spare time, Jessica loves reading, yoga, playing with her two very energetic cats, and studying foreign languages.

Photo credit: Mingzhe Wang, 2010

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