Biography
Hailing from Twin Falls, Idaho, pianist Jacqueline (Jaci) Rasmussen has performed and taught across the United States and internationally, garnering a reputation as an “inquisitive, creative” artist with “attention to detail and tenacity”.
Passionate about exploring concepts of identity and human connection through music,
Jacqueline is known for her innovative programming with a wide range of repertoire. She is quickly establishing herself as a sought-after pianist for new music, having premiered
and recorded numerous solo and ensemble works with composers across the country.
Her most recent project is the Able Suite, a solo piano work she commissioned in
collaboration with composer Elijah Culp that interrogates notions of virtuosity in relation
to disability. Also a passionate chamber musician, Jacqueline has collaborated with musicians of the San Diego Symphony, Sphinx Virtuosi, IU Opera and Ballet Theatre, Opera Vermont, and served as Principal Pianist and Director of Piano Ensembles in the USC Student Symphony Orchestra.
Recital, concert and masterclass appearances include Atlantic Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Auer Hall, Ford-Crawford Recital Hall, Newman Recital Hall, Westerbeck Recital Hall, and Biola University. In 2019 Jacqueline was awarded first prize in the Pasadena City College Concerto Competition, where she was featured as a soloist with the PCC Orchestra and conductor Henry Shin. Other competition accolades include 1st prize in the Sigma Alpha Iota Scholarship Competition, 1st prize in the Pasadena City College Piano Competition, and division award winner in the Idaho Federation of Music Clubs Collegiate Award Competition.
Jacqueline is dedicated to expanding accessibility to music and the arts in her work as a teaching artist. Her community engagement experience includes teaching music classes to LAUSD public schools as part of the USC Thornton Community Engagement Program, as a pianist in the community education program Reimagining Opera for Kids, and as an instructor in the IU Jacobs Virtual Academy. Her most recent role as part of JVA was serving as the lead piano instructor for their annual on-site music education project in partnership with Cheerful Heart Mission, where she taught piano classes and led group performances for communities near the Haitian border in the Dominican Republic. Over the course of her decade in teaching, Jacqueline's students have received several awards and superior marks in competitions and festivals. Jacqueline has also served as a jury member for the Indiana Music Teacher’s Association (IMTA) Achievement in Music Festivals, Certificate of Achievement, and the Indiana Arts Festival State Honors Recital Competition.
Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and continued her Master of Music in Piano Performance studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Prior to these institutions, Jacqueline studied at the College of Southern Idaho and Pasadena City College, the latter where she received her Associate of Arts in Music. Her primary teachers throughout her studies include Sue Miller, Jocelyn Chang, Stewart Gordon, Daniel Pollack and Sofya Gulyak.
Jacqueline serves on the faculty of IU Young Pianists, IU Jacobs Virtual Academy, and as senior pianist for IU Ballet Theatre. She also maintains a private studio. An avid cook and coffee enthusiast, Jacqueline also enjoys dancing, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.