"One was transported beyond the furthest planets during Yaple-Schobert's recital." The Flensburg Daily (Germany / Denmark)

Derek Yaple-Schobert (rhymes with "Maple-Show-Bert") is a well-traveled American / Canadian pianist, based in Montreal, who brings classical music to a wide audience. With his own engaging and insightful commentary, he guides newcomers to the classical genre, as well as seasoned concertgoers, taking them on memorable musical journeys. His fully memorized programs played without sheet music, feature a broad spectrum of the immortals: the wit of Haydn, the emotional pathos of Beethoven, the unearthly beauty of Schubert, the dazzling virtuosity of Liszt or the intensity of Prokofiev, as well as rarely heard yet captivating Nordic music. He leaves his audiences with a refreshing feeling of discovery, as he takes them through the breathtaking musical landscapes of the Norwegian Edvard Grieg, the individualistic music of the Dane Carl Nielsen or the evocative sounds of the Swede Erland von Koch.

Yaple-Schobert's mainstage showcase at Ontario Contact resulted in solo recitals at the Sarnia Concert Association, Barrie Colours of Music Festival, Kingston Piano Fest Opus 5, the Gananoque Concert Association, an all Edvard Grieg recital at Guelph University sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Thunder Bay LUMINA Concert Series, as well as a return engagement for the longstanding Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. In Quebec, Yaple-Schobert performed for Pro Musica's Mélodînes Series at Place des arts, at the venerable Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur and in summer 08, at both the internationally recognized Lachine Music Festival and Maison Trestler summer festivals. Following an Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) mainstage showcase, Yaple-Schobert performed a four-city tour in Saskatchewan. In the course of his tours, Derek Yaple-Schobert conducted masterclasses for pianists of various levels, at the Holstebro Music School in Denmark, Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. 2009 highlights include: Almonte in Concert, the Canadian Women's Club of Montreal and a third return engagement for the Lakeshore Chamber Music Society in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

BRAVO! Television featured him on "The Classical Now II", highlighting The best of the next generation of Canadian classical musicians (watch an excerpt at the end of the Listen page). The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has recorded two of his recitals live. In November, 2008, WNMU FM Radio recorded Yaple-Schobert's live recital at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, later broadcast globally via the internet. CBC Radio 2 (across Canada) and Montreal's CJPX Radio regularly broadcast selections from Yaple-Schobert's first CD, Nordic Passion including works by Scandinavians J.P.E. Hartmann, Niels W. Gade, Erland von Koch, Harald Sæverud, a contemporary Canadian work, as well as Haydn and Schubert. Universal distributes his 2009 critically acclaimed 2nd CD on the XXI label with works by Edvard Grieg.

Derek Yaple-Schobert won 1st Prize at the Montreal Classical Music Festival and the Award for Best Interpretation of a Canadian work awarded by the Canadian Music Centre at Prix d'Europe, as well as several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Quebec Arts Council. He also won 2nd Prizes at the North-American "French Music Days" Competition, the prestigious Canadian National Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition and the National Finals of the Canadian Music Competition. Fellowships from the American-Scandinavian Foundation in NYC enabled Yaple-Schobert to take private studies in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, invited him as International Guest for one complete year at its elite "Edsberg Musikinstitution". In addition, he took short term studies on scholarship at the Maurice Ravel Academy in St-Jean-de-Luz, France, the Taubman Institute of Piano in NYC, the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut, the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada and the Orford Arts Centre south of Montreal. With full scholarships, Yaple-Schobert was awarded a Doctorate in Music in Piano Performance from the University of Montreal, by unanimous decision.

Aside from music and enjoying the cultural diversity and vibrancy of the big city, Derek enjoys escaping to a cabin in Abitibi, wilderness 650 km north of Montreal.