Yoshiko Arahata

Yoshiko ArahataYoshiko Arahata’s multicultural upbringing and perpetual curiosity are reflected in her diverse musical activities and sensitive performances. A versatile pianist in styles ranging from Baroque to Contemporary, Ms. Arahata maintains an active musical career as a performer, educator and composer. Ms. Arahata was a prize winner at several national and international competitions including Bradshaw and Buono, Los Angeles Liszt, Young Artists Peninsula, Hong Kong Music Festival, and has performed concertos as a grand prize winner of Bach Festival and Long Beach Mozart Festival. As a member of the Elgin Trio, she won the Ensemble-in-Residence position for the Music Bus Tour that travelled across Texas. Equally at home in contemporary music, Ms. Arahata’s new music engagement highlights include appearances as a featured soloist with the Ossia New Music Ensemble and Music Nova, and working with composers such as Steve Reich, Aaron Jay Kernis and Jo Kondo. She was also a recipient of numerous scholarships and honors including the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Assistant Prize at the Eastman School of Music and a Certificate of Recognition by the City of Los Angeles for her dedication to music.  

Ms. Arahata’s solo performances brought her to several international stages in Japan, Hong Kong, USA, France, Spain, Italy and Greece. A sought-after collaborative and chamber musician, she performed with the renowned violinist Charles Castleman, Castleman Quartet Program, Garth Newel Music Center, Young Musician Foundation, several radio broadcasts in USA, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, various contemporary and jazz ensembles, and rigorous performances with brass players in Chicago. Ms. Arahata regularly performs works by living composers, and her own works have been premiered at venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center, Ritsos Project, and Women in Music Festival.

Continuously seeking artistic growth and ways to connect with her audience, Ms. Arahata actively performs and teaches in traditional and outreach settings. A dedicated educator and an advocate of community enrichment, her teaching experiences include collegiate secondary piano, class piano and working as a studio assistant throughout her graduate studies; lecture and workshops at numerous k-12 schools and music festivals; outreach performances at hospitals, retirement homes, and a prison. Ms. Arahata currently serves as an instructor at the Eastman Community Music School and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Ms. Arahata holds degrees in piano performance and brain and cognitive sciences from the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, and University of Rochester where she also studied as a Take Five Scholar in relationships between individual psyches and community health. Her primary instructors and mentors include Barry Snyder, Alan Chow, Dariusz Terefenko, Manami Kawamura and Nobuyo Nishizaka. She has studied in master classes with pianists including Menahem Pressler, Robert McDonald, Meng-Chieh Liu, Marc Durand, Natalya Antonova, Nelita True, Boris Slutsky, Malcom Bilson, and Alexander Kobrin. Currently, Ms. Arahata studies with Dr. Enrico Elisi and works as his teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music, where she pursues a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance and Literature with a Minor in Jazz and Contemporary Media.

For more information, please visit www.yoshikoarahata.com.

 


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