Yoshiko Yerkes

Yoshiko Kobayashi Yerkes began piano at age six in Sonobe, Japan. She graduated from Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts and studied with Funakoshi and Taguchi. She taught music at Kacho Women's School and was an active recitalist in Kyoto before coming to Los Angeles in 1987 to study with Joel Ewing. She is directly descended from the classical masters: Haydn, teacher of Beethoven, teacher of Liszt, teacher of Schnabel, teacher of Myers, teacher of Ewing, teacher of Yoshiko. She is a popular soloist at the Los Angeles Breakfast Club and performs frequently at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, where she also enjoys singing, dancing, and directing youth and children's ensembles. She was twice awarded “California Music Mother of the Year” by American Mothers, Inc. and was first runner-up in the national competition. A permanent U.S. resident, Yoshiko occasionally visits Japan to give concerts or televised recitals for her Japanese fans. She performed on public television to benefit victims of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. She recorded two solo pieces on the soundtrack of a TV series "The Long Vacation", which became the best-selling CD in Japan. Yoshiko is noted for special sensitivity to the uniqueness of each piano, making it her partner in musical expression. Her primary instrument is a rare 1913 Steinway model C that is featured in her CD's.