The Hawaiʻi Music Teachers Association is proud to announce violinist and violist Dr. Yuseon Nam as the 2023 HMTA Teacher of the Year for her outstanding contributions to Hawaiʻi’s music community as an educator and former HMTA Vice-President (2020-2021) and Director (2019-2020 and 2021-2022). A very dedicated musical and educational advocate, she is an inspirational leader who changes children’s lives through music. Her positive contributions to Hawaiʻi’s music community is highly outstanding and remarkable. We want to thank our judges Gregory Shepherd (Music Professor, Kauaʻi Community Coll ..read more

  What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to? I love Brahms and Rachmaninoff. Also, I am always inspired by Yokoyama Katsuya’s playing of the shakuhachi koten honkyoku, particularly the piece “San’an.” Please tell us about your background as a pianist and shakuhachi player. How and when were you inspired to pursue teaching and performance careers involving both instruments? I am a graduate of SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music in New York, where I was a piano student of Frank Iogha.  It was such a blessing to study with Mr. Iogha…truly an amazing artist a ..read more

  From L-R: Ailis Nguyen (2023 Hawaiʻi State Music Competition Piano Level II 1st Place Winner), Ruth Murata-Eisen, and Henley Anthony (2023 Hawaiʻi State Music Competition Piano Level I 1st Place (tie) Winner) Tell us about your musical background. How did you find your calling as a pianist and piano teacher? I started lessons at age four with Ernest Chang. My mother was a piano teacher and decided for me that I would become a pianist. I was really not interested in the piano and begged to quit, but she would not allow it. When my parents moved to Maui, they announced that I ..read more

On Saturday, April 1, 2023, students, parents, teachers, friends, and families enthusiastically gathered onto the campus of ʻIolani School in Honolulu to attend and participate in HMTA’s first in-person student recital since the onset of the global pandemic. Despite the date this recital was held on, it was no prank or joke (and was never intended to be)! During the registration process, HMTA recital committee members Alexander Peña and Alyssa Hironaka received numerous recital sign-up forms from students eager and grateful to be able to share their music with a live audience. The program fil ..read more

  What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to? I love to play Bach sonatas and partitas for violin. I was playing a Bach sonata movement the first time I ever felt like the violin was an extension of my voice. I also love to listen to jazz. What achievement over the course of your life are you most proud of? I am most proud of my relationships. Whether it is my immediate family, my lifelong friends, or my students, I am so proud to see how we have grown together. I love to look back at all the times we have truly been present through the valleys and hil ..read more

The Hawaiʻi Music Teachers Association is proud to announce violinist Dr. Nikki Routman Ebisu as the 2022 HMTA Teacher of the Year for her outstanding contributions to Hawaiʻi’s music community as an educator and former HMTA President (2020-2022). She is a leader, mentor, and advocate in our community, and her sincere dedication to music education remains highly inspirational and extraordinary. We want to thank our judges Dolly Kanekuni (Hawaiʻi Childrenʻs Theatre, Past President), Philip Steinbacher (Island School, Choir & Music Director), and Kaycee Milne (Strings of Hawaiʻi, Founder) f ..read more

You’re awarded an unlimited amount of dollars to plan your dream vacation. Where would you go and why? If in the past someone gave me a lot of money to travel, I would say I would like to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. Although I did not receive such a gift, I did go in August 2022 to make a long time wish come true. Wachau Valley Before reaching Oberammergau, my friends and I took a river cruise on the Danube River and stopped in towns in Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and Germany. The towns and cities on the banks of the river were very picturesque but not musically ..read more

It’s that time of the year again! Hawaii Music Teachers Association (HMTA) is participating in Give Aloha, Foodland’s Annual Community Matching Gifts Program.  Donate to HMTA at the checkout by mentioning our organization code: 78828.       How It Works From September 1-30, customers are invited to make donations of up to $249 to participating Hawaii non-profit organizations at checkout.  Donations are accepted at any Foodland, Sack N Save or Foodland Farms checkout.  Foodland and the Western Union Foundation will match a portion o ..read more

What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to? I always feel that pianists are so lucky because we have more repertoire than any other instrumentalists to play and listen to.  Therefore, we often have a harder time picking our favorite pieces. However, music by Chopin is on one of my top lists. I also choose to play/listen to music depending on what mood I’m in. What is one of the most essential pieces of advice you received as a musician or teacher? This advice is probably not only for being a musician and a teacher but also for being a human being — Try your best and ..read more

What brought you to Hawai'i? I moved to Hawaii in 2006 to perform with the Honolulu Symphony while finishing my last year of graduate school long-distance. Being "hapa" and having grown up in Tokyo, I instantly felt a connection with Hawaii and knew that this was my future home. I love the food, culture, people and island life. Compared to other places you have lived, what aspect(s) of Hawai'i do you cherish the most? I love the warm weather! I cannot handle the cold, and anyone that knows me will tell you that I am always wearing a sweater. I'm embarassed to admit that I even have a down com ..read more