Biography

Dr. Jake Pierson is a clarinetist, educator, and chamber musician based in Boston, Massachusetts. He recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Clarinet at Boston University, where he also served as an Aural Skills Graduate Teaching Assistant. Prior to his doctoral studies, he earned a Master of Music degree in Clarinet with an outside area in wind conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his academic and professional career, Jake has pursued a balance of performance, teaching, and community engagement, with a particular interest in collaborative music making and accessible arts education.

As a performer, Jake maintains an active orchestral and chamber music career throughout the Boston area. He has performed with ensembles including the Boston Civic Symphony, Boston Chamber Symphony, and Boston Annex Players as both clarinetist and bass clarinetist. His recent performances have featured repertoire spanning the standard orchestral, chamber, and contemporary canon, including works by Beethoven, Rebecca Clarke, Messiaen, Enescu, Mozart, Weber, and Nielsen. Recent chamber appearances include performances on faculty showcase recitals at Boston University as well as community engagement performances throughout the Greater Boston area.

Jake is also deeply committed to community-centered performance initiatives. He currently collaborates with fellow Boston-area musicians to organize a summer chamber concert series focused on bringing high-quality chamber music to accessible community venues such as libraries, retirement communities, community centers, and public gathering spaces. These projects reflect his belief that classical music performance should foster connection, accessibility, and meaningful audience engagement.

As an educator, Jake has taught in collegiate, secondary, and private studio settings. At Boston University, he taught undergraduate musicianship and ear training courses, leading instruction in interval and chord identification, melodic and harmonic dictation, chromaticism, and post-tonal concepts. While at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he taught applied clarinet lessons and developed a clarinet technique class for undergraduate students emphasizing tone production, articulation, technical fluency, and effective practice strategies. He has also taught woodwind pedagogy courses for music education students at the University of New Hampshire and maintains an active private studio serving students ranging from beginners to advanced adult learners. Across all teaching settings, Jake emphasizes thoughtful musicianship, strong technical foundations, and the development of independent, goal-oriented practice habits.

Outside of his musical life, Jake enjoys cooking at home and exploring Boston’s vibrant café scene.