Yolanda Tapia is a Mexican-born pianist, educator, vocal coach, and Fulbright Scholar, currently based in Toronto. With an international career rooted in collaboration and cultural storytelling, she works actively with institutions such as the University of Toronto, El Sistema Toronto, the Community Music Schools of Toronto, and the Miles Nadal JCC Suzuki Program.

 

Aa a co-founder of Obsidiana Duo, Yolanda bridges music, education, and interdisciplinary art by highlighting historically underrepresented Ibero-American and Canadian composers. Alongside mezzo-soprano Camila Montefusco, the duo has toured nationally under  Prairie Debut and Debut Atlantic, and their work has been supported by grants from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

 

A versatile chamber musician, Yolanda is also a member of Solidaridad Tango Ensemble, an all-female group dedicated to exploring the expressive depth of tango music. The ensemble has performed in Toronto and Montreal and is currently preparing to record their second album in Buenos Aires. Yolanda also shares the stage with classical guitarist and pedagogue Lenny Ranallo in a unique guitar and piano duo. Together, they have performed in venues such as the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto and for the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society.

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Yolanda’s performance experience spans continents and genres. She has appeared as a soloist with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra and the CSU Symphony Orchestra, and has earned awards from Mexico’s Chamber Music National Competition and multiple concerto competitions. From chamber ensembles like Trio Loja and the Sampanguita Flute Project to orchestral appearances with the Veracruz State Youth Orchestra, her work has taken her across North and South America, Europe, and even Antarctica through her residency with Holland America’s Lincoln Center Stage Piano Quartet.​

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A passionate music educator, Yolanda has given masterclasses at Mount Allison University, the University of Veracruz, FIM Loja in Ecuador, and Cambrian College in Ontario. She has also presented lecture-recitals at the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts' CollabFest, Latin American Chamber Players, Western University, and El Canto Online. Deeply committed to community and advocacy, she co-founded collaborativepianist.info and Cybercollab 2021, projects dedicated to uplifting and connecting collaborative pianists worldwide.

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Yolanda holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Universidad Veracruzana, a Master of Music from Colorado State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Western Ontario. Her additional training includes being an Art of Song Fellow at Toronto Summer Music and a Collaborative Piano Fellow at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. She has also participated in programs such as Evolution: Classical at the Banff Centre, Toronto Creative Music Lab, Orvieto Musica, Académie Musicale de Morges, the Aguascalientes Chamber Music Festival, and the San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival, among others.

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Passionate about reaching younger audiences, Yolanda is committed to enriching classical music programming across Canada through diverse and innovative projects. Outside of performing, she enjoys live music across various genres—from heavy metal and punk to rock and jazz.