Yael Cohen

Biography

Yael is a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player with extensive performing experience in diverse musical settings, as well as an arts administrator that deeply cares about arts equity.

She graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Psychology and Information Sciences, while balancing her musical pursuits outside of the classroom through ensembles as well as lessons with Raymond Mase at the Juilliard School.

Notably, she was the principal trumpet player of the New York Youth Symphony from 2017-2021, with which she was a soloist at Carnegie Hall of a world premiere, played on CNN with Billy Ray Cyrus, toured internationally, and was featured on a Grammy-winning studio album. Additionally, she was the principal trumpet player of the Columbia University orchestra from 2017-2021. She also served as a Soloist and Director of Global Operations for the Back to Bach Project from 2016-2021, which is a musical outreach program aiming to kindle a passion for classical music in children worldwide.

Since graduating, she spent a year playing trumpet for the First National Tour of the Broadway musical Tootsie, and loved being a part of a production that brought laughter and levity to audiences each night. Yael is currently based back in NYC, where she spent the last year freelancing, working for Maestra as a programming intern, and working in the impact investing space in a BD/Marketing Analyst role.

Since her recent move back to NYC, she has played for school and community productions of Into the Woods, Chicago, Legally Blonde, The Music Man, and Annie. She has also played with Camerata Notturna, Chelsea Symphony, String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Hora Decima Brass, Calliope Brass, New York Classical Players, Schiller Choir, and Richmond County Orchestra.

Moreover, she is the creator/host of a podcast entitled “The Brass Ceiling," in which she interviews primarily female and non-binary peers about their musical journeys, and prompt a rigorous dialogue with the intention of understanding how to achieve greater diversity in, and accessibility to, the arts. Yael hopes to lift others with her as she pursue a career in a field that historically lacks diversity, while making wonderful music and chasing exciting experiences along the way!

Maestra blogs:
- https://maestramusic.org/blog/in-the-pit-on-the-road-part-one/
- https://maestramusic.org/blog/in-the-pit-on-the-road-part-ii/