Biography

GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Joy Schreier is a sought-after collaborative pianist and vocal coach. She serves on the music staff of the Washington National Opera and as Assistant Conductor and pianist of the Cathedral Choral Society, the symphonic chorus in residence at the Washington National Cathedral. At WNO, Schreier has assisted on the world premiere of Grounded as well as recent productions of Aida, Porgy and Bess, Turandot, La Bohème, Fidelio, and Il Trovatore.

Schreier has been presented in recital at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, the White House, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Recent performances include recitals with soprano Renée Fleming, Denyce Graves, and violinist Pinchas Zukerman. Additional engagements include a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall and a recital series with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard for the Marilyn Horne Foundation.

A highly sought-after vocal coach, Schreier prepared Ms. Fleming for the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Hours at The Metropolitan Opera, as well as Nixon in China at Opéra National de Paris. She is a former faculty coach in the opera department at the Peabody Conservatory and regularly coaches for the Denyce Graves Foundation as part of its Shared Voices Program.

Schreier received wide-spread critical acclaim for Confessions, her Grammy-nominated 2020 CD release with soprano Laura Strickling.  For that release, Opera News describes Schreier as a “superbly emotive pianist that wrings every nuance out,” while Schmopera calls her “an indispensable accompanist… either preternaturally intuitive or possessing perfect communication—perhaps a bit of both.”

An avid art song recitalist, Schreier serves as official pianist of the Washington International Voice Competition at the Kennedy Center. She received her Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from the Eastman School of Music under Dr. Jean Barr, where she was the recipient of the Barbara Koeng Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying and the piano prize in the Jessie Kneisel German Lieder competition.