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