Description
A New York City native, Koh Kazama is a concert guitarist and educator exposing audiences to the endless possibilities of the classical guitar. He started his guitar studies at the age of six, after being inspired by a Japanese rock musician. His diverse repertoire ranges from early music played on period instruments to contemporary music using electronic effects.
Carnegie Hall · Symphony Space · Webster Hall · Morse Hall at Juilliard.
Dr. Kazama has performed in renowned venues, festivals, and concert series, including Carnegie Hall, Miami International GuitART Festival, Long Island Guitar Festival, Killington Music Festival, Symphony Space, Webster Hall, WNYC New Sounds Live series, Morse Hall (Juilliard), Mid-Hudson Classical Guitar Society, and Yale Guitar Extravaganza. Recent highlights include concerts with Grammy-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire, a solo concert tour in Japan, and performing as the featured artist at Killington Music Festival’s season finale chamber music concert. He has also premiered works by a wide range of prominent composers, including Michael White (Juilliard), David Lang (Yale), William Anderson (Queens College), Paula Matthusen (Wesleyan), and Kendall Williams.
Dr. Kazama holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where he was a scholarship student and teaching assistant of the guitar department. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Master of Music, and Artist Diploma at Yale University. He received a full scholarship to attend Yale, and he was the recipient of the Eliot Fisk Prize, which was awarded to an outstanding guitarist whose artistic achievements and dedication have contributed greatly to the department. He attended LaGuardia Arts High School in New York City, where he majored in cello and was part of the LaGuardia Symphony Orchestra. His major teachers have included Jerry Willard, Benjamin Verdery, Simon Powis, Liam Wood, Nadav Lev, and David Gonzalez.
Dr. Kazama is also a dedicated teacher who has experience teaching guitar to students of various levels and ages. He is currently on the faculty at New World School of the Arts, a partner of Miami Dade College, University of Florida, and Dade County Public Schools in Miami. He has previously taught as a guitar instructor at Yale University and Stony Brook University. He is also a former faculty member and alumnus of Third Street Music School Settlement, the longest-running community music school in the United States. He is also the director of GuitarFest at New World School of the Arts, an annual event of workshops, masterclasses, and performances for the Miami community.
In addition to his teaching and performing, Dr. Kazama has contributed publications and learning resources to the guitar community. He co-founded Monologue Publications, which is dedicated to creating solo and chamber music arrangements for guitar that include thoroughly researched historical and stylistic information for the player. He is also the co-founder of Leyenda, an online graded classical guitar database.