Dr. Jacob Skiles is a pianist from Jacksonville, Florida, hailed for his color control and his “inspired” and “intellectual” style. Jacob has a passion for exploring the color and touch in a range of styles, with a particular interest in twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoire and underperformed works. Jacob has given concerts across the U.S. and Europe, and made his orchestral debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in 2018. Jacob’s research interests include studying relationships between birdsong and human music and exploring the role of music in ecological conservation. He frequently presents his work at national and international music conferences. Outside of his musical work, Jacob enjoys birdwatching, wildlife photography, and traveling with his wife, Joanna.

Jacob currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Theory at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music where he studied under Liza Stepanova. He also holds an MM in Piano Performance from Florida State University, where he studied under Read Gainsford, and a BA in Music from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he studied under Yakov Kasman.