About

His musical work includes classical and contemporary repertoire, original improvisation, and collaboration with other musicians. Improvisation appears both as independent music and within recital programmes, sometimes leading directly into a written work. At the Art of the Piano Festival in San Francisco in 2024, he paired a free improvisation with Scriabin's Fourth Sonata.

In 2025, Chaffman served as pianist for the U.S. Pavilion at World Expo 2025 in Osaka. His work there included a collaboration with Malaysian sitarist Kumaresan Karthigesu, a performance for the United Nations Pavilion's Harmony of Life event, and a visit to Osaka International School.

Earlier that year, he presented a summer piano series at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and held a cultural-diplomacy fellowship at Meridian International Center. These experiences involved both performance and the programming and institutional work that support cultural exchange.

Chaffman studied international relations at American University, where he studied piano with Yuliya Gorenman. He won the university's concerto competition and made his concerto debut with Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto. He subsequently studied piano at The Juilliard School.

He is a member of the U.S. Department of State's Music Envoy roster. His interests include musical exchange, cultural diplomacy, and the role of the arts within international institutions.