John Yao & His 17-piece Instrument at Aaron Copland School Of Music At Queens College

Let’s Make Some Noise is a participatory workshop and concert experience centered around big band music where the audience aren’t just observers— they are active contributors to the music and the performance.
Premiering as a three-month residency at Queens College, these workshops are equal-parts concert, rehearsal, and learning experience, inviting the audience to listen to, engage, collaborate, and perform with my big band, John Yao & His 17-piece Instrument.
Each workshop explores a different chapter in The Evolution of Big Band Style, from swing-era dance music and modern jazz orchestras to contemporary, avant-garde, and atonal sounds. Open to students and the broader community, the experience evolves over time, with audience participation woven into every workshop. All are welcome and no musical experience is necessary....

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Let’s Make Some Noise is a participatory workshop and concert experience centered around big band music where the audience aren’t just observers— they are active contributors to the music and the performance.
Premiering as a three-month residency at Queens College, these workshops are equal-parts concert, rehearsal, and learning experience, inviting the audience to listen to, engage, collaborate, and perform with my big band, John Yao & His 17-piece Instrument.
Each workshop explores a different chapter in The Evolution of Big Band Style, from swing-era dance music and modern jazz orchestras to contemporary, avant-garde, and atonal sounds. Open to students and the broader community, the experience evolves over time, with audience participation woven into every workshop. All are welcome and no musical experience is necessary.
John Yao is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition and one of the premier trombonists, composers, and arrangers on the New York City jazz scene. Over the past two decades, Yao has distinguished himself through his lyrical soloing, expressive round tone, and relentless drive to push the boundaries of harmony and rhythm, establishing a uniquely forward-thinking musical voice. He has been hailed as “one of New York’s elite trombonists and…a first-class, ambitious, and witty composer and leader” (Lucid Culture), and his work has been described as “boldly diverse…cutting across the swath of contemporary jazz’s field” (All About Jazz).
Yao’s artistry has earned him wide recognition. In 2023-24, he was named in both the Rising Star Trombone and Rising Star Big Band categories of the DownBeat Critics Poll. He has built an extensive body of work through collaborations with ensembles and performers worldwide and has released six recordings as a bandleader—each showcasing his bold, boundary-pushing compositions for small groups and large ensembles. His latest album “Points in Time” was an Editor’s Pick and voted Best of 2025 by DownBeat Magazine.

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