Art Hirahara is a jazz pianist/composer who currently resides in the Bay Area.
He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in jazz piano performance at California
Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA and a Bachelor of Music degree in Electronic
and Computer Music from the Oberlin College Conservatory in Oberlin, OH.
In the fall of 1996, he was selected by the Arts America office of the U.S.
Information Agency to serve as a "Jazz Ambassador" on a seven week tour in Qatar, Yemen,
Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where he performed, lectured and
conducted workshops with local musicians. In Northern California, Art performs
regularly as a freelance musician at public performances, festivals, private events
and at venues such as Yoshi's and Jazz at Pearl's. He has worked with noted
local musicians Idris Ackamoor, Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra, Bob Kenmotsu, Helcio Milito,
Marcus Shelby, Yancie Taylor and E.W. Wainwright. He has composed music
for the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors (18MMW), a San Francisco-based comedy/theater
group, as well as for the Asian American Theater Company.
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He is a founding member and co-artistic director of the pan-Asian
percussion group, Asian Crisis, based out of the Oakland
Asian Cultural Center. He also serves on the board of directors of
Kearny Street Workshop, a non-profit Asian American arts organization in
San Francisco. He is currently in the process of mastering a
CD of all original music. Art has studied performance and
composition with Charlie Haden, Joe LeBarbera, Neal Creque, Wadada
Leo Smith and David Roitstein.
Contact Art at art@asiancrisismusic.com.
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