“Naseer François Ashraf is a multidisciplinary musician and educator, whose distinctively broad musical background informs his work as a collaborative pianist and instructor of diction for singers.

At the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music, Naseer teaches classes in Italian, German, and French Diction for Singers, as well as Solfège and Keyboard Studies. His lifelong fascination with linguistics has shaped his approach to diction: exploring etymology and phonology/orthography using the International Phonetic Alphabet, with special attention not only to pronunciation, but also to musical phrasing, character, historical and regional usage, and textual comprehension. He aims to give singers the tools and insight to approach unfamiliar languages independently with enthusiasm, rather than simply reproduce prescribed pronunciations.

His opera work includes music directing and playing for a wide range of productions, including Menotti’s The Medium, Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, as well as music directing, conducting, composing, arranging, and vocal coaching actors for the Purchase Theatre Conservatory’s production of Horváth’s Tales from the Vienna Woods. He has also worked for several years as a Dance Accompanist for Ballet Classes with the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance.

Naseer holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition with a minor in Viola Performance from the University of Rhode Island, where he studied composition with Eliane Aberdam and viola with Ann Danis. There, he received the Kingston Chamber Music Award, a competitive scholarship granted for demonstrating excellence in string playing. He went on to earn a Master of Music in Classical Composition from SUNY Purchase, studying with Laura Kaminsky and Du Yun, followed by an Artist Diploma in Piano Performance, studying with Stephanie Brown and Miyoko Lotto. He has also studied piano with Sławomir Dobrzański.

Outside of Purchase, Naseer has been teaching music to students of all ages for more than a decade, and has served as Music Director and Organist at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Pearl River, NY since 2015. In his teaching, Naseer seeks to create an environment in which students feel comfortable experimenting, developing confidence, and becoming increasingly independent musicians.

Aside from music, Naseer is passionate about culinary arts, horticulture, cats, and spending time in nature.