Jarome Harlea

Piano Instructor

Jarome Harlea is a Filipino-Canadian pianist born and raised in the city of Calgary. He is a graduate of the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary, where he studied under Marilyn Engle. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded the Carr Prize, the Yvonne Johnston Award, and multiple scholarships in recognition of his artistic achievement and musicianship. To further his artistic development, Jarome pursued postgraduate studies in the Advanced Performance Program at the Taylor Centre for Performing Arts. There, he received mentorship from distinguished artists James Anagnoson, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Nicolas Namoradze, and Marina Lomazov, among others. In 2026, he became a winner of the RBC Concerto Competition. Recent notable performances include a movement of Bach’s Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C minor performed with acclaimed pianist Roman Rabinovich, and a world premiere of Calgary composer Vincent Ho’s The Sauntering Dog from The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Animals.

An active collaborative pianist, Jarome works extensively with students and faculty at the University of Calgary, the Academy Program for Young Artists at the Mount Royal University Conservatory, the Amici String Program, and the Vancouver Island Music Academy. His passion for ensemble performance and chamber music has led him to collaborate with musicians across all orchestral string and wind instruments, as well as in a wide range of chamber music settings including piano duo, piano trio, horn trio, clarinet trio, and piano quartet. In 2025, his piano trio won first prize in both the Calgary Performing Arts Festival and Alberta Music Festival Association chamber music divisions.

Alongside his collaborative work, Jarome maintains an active performance schedule. He contributes regularly to recitals, festivals, multidisciplinary projects, and community events throughout Calgary, and is committed to making classical music accessible and visible to diverse audiences. He is also drawn to music that exists at the intersection of styles, and his repertoire spans the core classical canon while also embracing works influenced by jazz, popular music, and contemporary idioms, as well as film and video game music. In addition to performing, Jarome maintains a teaching studio in Calgary. His students consistently achieve high marks and distinctions within the Royal Conservatory of Music curriculum and are wonderful ambassadors for music and pianism in their communities. Through performance, collaboration, and education, Jarome remains deeply engaged in Calgary’s vibrant musical landscape.