Masayoshi Ishikawa

Member Since: 2019 | Location: Richmond | Page Views: 660

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Masayoshi Ishikawa is a pianist/composer whose musical ideas often come from his Japanese cultural background/heritage, human relationships, wild animals and nature.

Originally from Fukushima Japan, Masayoshi Ishikawa grew up in a city called Aizu Wakamatsu. He came to the United States in 2003 to begin his formal musical training in Seattle Washington, where he first found his passion for piano and the art of jazz. As a pianist, Ishikawa has performed at many jazz festivals/concerts including Italy, China, Taiwan and the United States. He was chosen to perform as one of the five finalists for 2016 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. In March 2021, Masa collaborated with Eien Hunter (taiko drums/shinobue) on his composition Haseru to commemorate Japan's 2011 tsunami and earthquake tragedy. He also premiered Suite for the Forgotten (jazz orchestra with strings) in 2015. The music is dedicated to people who are currently living in Fukushima under the uncertain health impact of the radiation exposure from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants meltdown in 2011. As a sincere respect to Stevie Wonder, one of his musical heroes, Ishikawa also premiered Stevie Wonder Recomposition Project in 2013. In this project, Ishikawa selected multiple Wonder compositions to recompose for chamber jazz ensembles with various instrumentations. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano at James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA). Past teaching includes Gustavus Adolphus College (Saint Peter, MN) and University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA).