Łukasz Yoder

Piano/Poland-USA

Praised by the Los Angeles Opus for his “liquid sensitivity” and “formidable power” as a soloist, and for his “discreet exactitude” as a collaborative pianist, Łukasz is a winner of numerous awards, including the Grand Prize of the Lansum International Music Festival, The Kosciusko Foundations National Chopin Competition in Washington D.C, Claudette Sorel International Piano Competition in New York, The International Chopin Competition in Hartford, Connecticut, and many others.  Lukasz has performed extensively on both coasts of the United States, Europe and Puerto Rico, in venues that include Zipper Hall of the Colburn School of Music, the Polish Embassy in Washington DC, the Kosciuszko Foundation’s headquarters in NYC, the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico, the Dzialynski Palace and White Hall of Poznan, Poland, as well as Zelazowa Wola, Chopin’s birthplace. He has recorded for Polish Radio and Television, and has been featured in the Polish and American Press.

As a winner of Beverly Hills National Auditions 2020, he toured Southern California, performing on the Noontime Concert Series at Los Angeles City City College, the Modrzejewska Club Evening Concerts, The Music by the Sea Concert Series in Encinitas, the Interludes Concert Series in Torrance, as well as the Classical Encounters Concert Series in Orange County and Music in the Mansion in Beverly Hills.

In his spare time from music, Lukasz is a model, currently represented in Southern California by Otto Models, and nationally and internationally by Main Line Models and Talent and Iamincover. In between of his musical and modeling endeavors, Lukasz surfs as much as possible. He’s surfed twelve foot Manhattan beach, cracked three surfboards, stepped on five stingrays, seen ten turtles, and around five hundred dolphins. He’s hiked the Sierra Nevadas, off-roaded in Death Valley, rock climbed Joshua Tree, got assaulted by monkeys in the Burmese jungle, and surfed everywhere from Mainland Mexico to Italy.

Lukasz is currently studying at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music on a full scholarship, under the tutelage Professor Inna Faliks, Chair of the Piano Department. He continues to be mentored by his mother, Roza Kostrzewska Yoder, as well as American Pianist Garrick Ohlsson.

Lukasz had a unique upbringing; he grew up homeschooled, and his mother taught him piano until college and teaches his two younger brothers.  He documents his pianistic career, as well as random adventures on his Instagram, where he can be found as @barefoot_pianist.