Sobina Kanter
Background Check Approved Teacher ✔️

(Yi-Hsuan Chi 祁苡瑄) is a Taiwanese-American pianist, music director, composer, and educator based in the New York metropolitan area. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, into a musical family, Sobina received extensive classical piano training through Taiwan’s gifted and talented music programs and established herself as an active performer in Taiwan. Her growing interest in jazz eventually led her to New York City, where she pursued higher education and expanded her musical path beyond her classical roots. In New York, Sobina studied under Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill. Supported by several scholarships throughout her studies, she earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from the City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. She also served as O’Farrill’s assistant at Brooklyn College for seven years and had the opportunity to perform with his Grammy Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

Throughout her career, Sobina has performed at many renowned venues in New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, Guggenheim Museum, Birdland Jazz Club and Flushing Town Hall, among others. She has also performed with numerous Grammy Award-winning and internationally recognized musicians.

As a versatile musician, Sobina’s work spans classical music, jazz, musical theater, composition, arranging, music direction, and education. At the heart of her career is her passion for performing and teaching, sharing music with audiences while inspiring and nurturing the next generation of musicians.

Now based in Edison, New Jersey, Sobina continues to perform, teach, compose, and collaborate with artists throughout New York, New Jersey, and beyond.

Pianist credits include:  Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, Flushing Town Hall, Symphony Space, Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Chinese in America, Birdland Jazz Club, Merkin Hall, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, ShapeShifter Lab, Culture Lab LIC, Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial Foundation, New York Winter Jazz Festival, Staten Island Jazz Festival, The Gallery Players, Passport to Taiwan Festival, National Taichung Theater, The Duplex Cabaret and Piano Bar, Gracie Mansion, Pregones Theater, Klub 45, Hershey Theatre, ART New York Bruce Mitchell, Flushing Taiwan Center, Taipei Jazz Festival, Taichung International Jazz Festival etc.