Erika Tazawa

Part-Time Instructor of Collaborative Piano

Erika Tazawa - Praised as “a superb collaborator, boldly undertaking the demanding keyboard parts with boundless technique, dynamic range, and expressive understanding” by American Record Guide, pianist Erika Tazawa is quickly gaining recognition as a versatile collaborative artist. Her performances, with repertoire ranging from 18th-century concerto to avant-garde opera, have been featured in radio programs such as BBC London, National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and Tokyo FM. The winner of Beverly Hills National Auditions in 2013, Tazawa has appeared in numerous chamber music series throughout the U.S. including Hot Springs Music Festival, Steinway at Spectrum, the Southern California Chamber Music Association, among others. In the field of vocal accompanying, Tazawa serves as a repetitor for AIMS in Graz, Austria, has collaborated with the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York and the Atlanta Opera, and accompanied masterclasses with artists such as Barbara Bonney, Linda Watson, Sherrill Milnes, and Stephanie Blythe. In 2016, she concluded her Stern Fellowship residency at SongFest in Los Angeles, where she worked closely with prominent performers of the 20th-century art song repertoire including Lucy Shelton and Sanford Sylvan, and contemporary works with composers Libby Larsen and Jake Heggie. Tazawa's recent solo album Rhythm of Silence, featuring 21st-century piano works, was released through Belarca Records, distributed internationally by Naxos. The recording has been featured on Gramophone UK: Gramophone Awards 2016 as "such intelligent programme-building and committed performances warrant serious attention and exposure." Currently located in Atlanta, Tazawa is on the Collaborative Piano faculty at Kennesaw State University.

Contact: Erika Tazawa | etazawa@kennesaw.edu | erika.tazawa@gmail.com