William Chapman Nyaho-Piano

Biography

William Chapman Nyaho, a Ghanaian American, is an active solo recitalist, duo pianist
and chamber musician, giving recitals and concerts throughout the United States, and in
Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean, often focusing on music by
composers of African descent. He regularly serves as a guest clinician at colleges and
universities around the United States and has also adjudicated for national and
international piano competitions.

Chapman Nyaho’s professional experience includes being a North Carolina Visiting
Artist and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette, where he held the Heymann Endowed Professorship and was the recipient of
the Distinguished Professor Award. He has served as Visiting Professor of Piano at
Colby College and Pomona College, has been an Artist-in-Residence at Willamette
University and professor of piano studies at the Adamant Music School. He has also
been on the summer faculty of the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Chapman
Nyaho currently serves on the piano faculty at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma,
Washington, as well as operating a private teaching studio in Seattle. In addition to
teaching, Chapman Nyaho serves on the board of trustees of the Frances Clark Center
for Keyboard Pedagogy, the Seattle Piano Institute and is Vice President of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion for the Music Teachers’ National Association.

A strong advocate for music by composers of African descent, William Chapman
Nyaho’s publications include a five-volume anthology entitled Piano Music of Africa and
the African Diaspora published by Oxford University Press in recognition of which he
received the 2022 MTNA-Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award. He is also a
contributor to the International Directory of Black Composers.
He has recorded three critically acclaimed CDs of solo piano music by composers of
African Descent titled “Senku’” “Asa” and “Kete” on the MSR Classics label. He has also
recorded Aaron Copland: Music for Two Pianos and Five by Four as the Nyaho/Garcia
Duo.

Chapman Nyaho earned his degrees from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, the
Eastman School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin. He also studied at the
Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Switzerland.