Noah East, BS 22, Professional Musician

Haas alumni have myriad accomplishments, but few can claim debut album. Pianist and organist Noah East, son of Grammy-nominated jazz bassist Nathan East, recently released the collaborative album, Father Son. It contains original compositions, jazz classics, and a reimagining of the Beatles song “Yesterday.”

“I’ve done studio sessions before for other artists, but to be able to have my first project and for it to be with him was really special,” East says.  

With perfect pitch, East showed musical ability at a young age, gravitating to keyboards. And like his father, East also finished his degree before pursuing music full time. He chose Haas to broaden his understanding of business—and his own potential. 

“Being in these classes with people who go on to work for big companies and do these negotiations … was definitely something that built character and made me feel kind of fearless about being in any room now,” he says.  

After graduation, East honed his marketing skills at SmoothJazz.com Global, a multimedia platform and PR firm, where he gained insights to address his father’s cautionary tales of the business. “When it was time to make my album, it gave me an edge on the marketing aspect of how to promote my work,” he says. 

With a long-term goal of creating an online music teaching platform, East is clear that understanding business and other ways to earn income is paramount. “You can get a million streams, but that’s barely enough to get some gas money these days,” he says. “So it’s about being adaptive and innovative.”

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