Acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as “a commanding solo player, the most supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music,” pianist Jeffrey Sykes has performed across four continents and is celebrated for his versatility as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician. He is the Artistic Director of the Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio, Texas, and the co-founder and Artistic Co-Director of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society of Wisconsin, now in its 34th season.

Together with violinist Axel Strauss and cellist Jean-Michel Fonteneau, Sykes is a founding member of the San Francisco Piano Trio, an ensemble praised for its virtuosic interpretations of repertoire spanning from Haydn and Beethoven to Leon Kirchner and Astor Piazzolla. He has also appeared as a guest artist with the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and the Olmos Ensemble, among many others. His performances have taken him to major venues such as Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Concert Series and the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, France.

Sykes has recorded for the Albany, CRI, Mandala, Centaur, and Cactus Pear labels, including the world premiere recording of Kevin Puts’ In at the Eye (Albany Records, 2018). A dedicated educator, he teaches piano, voice, and chamber music at the University of California, Berkeley, and California State University, East Bay, and is an active chamber music coach throughout the Bay Area.

Formerly the Music Director of Opera for the Young, a nationally recognized opera company for children, Sykes led the organization for eighteen years, introducing opera to more than two million young people. He holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was a recipient of the Jacob Javits Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education.