Piano
Pianist Naoki Hakutani has performed solo and chamber recitals in Korea, Japan, China, Mexico and throughout the United States. Recent performances have been in the Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Arts Center, Ilshin Art Hall, Shimsan Art Hall, Qingdao People’s Auditorium, Wenzao Ursuline University, Osaka University, University of Idaho, Middle Tennessee State University and Bowling Green State University.
He was recently invited to present lecture recitals at Sungkyul University and Chosun University on Romantic music literature. Also he was invited to present a recital featuring the music of Rachmaninoff at Yongsan Art Hall as a recipient of a generous grant from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.
Originally from Kent, Ohio, Dr. Hakutani holds degrees in piano performance from Northwestern University, Indiana University at Bloomington and the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, an Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock, Dr. Hakutani is very active nationally and internationally as an educator, having conducted classes and lectures throughout the United States, Mexico and Asia. He was visiting professor at Sunchon National University in Fall of 2014.
Most recently, he presented master classes at Sejong University, Honam Theological University, Sungkyul University, Jiangsu Normal University, University of Idaho and Bowling Green State University.
He often presents seminars and workshops throughout the United States and Asia. Recently he was a guest speaker at the Mississippi Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Independent Music Teachers Forum.
In addition to being a past recipient of the Arkansas State Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year Award, Dr. Hakutani was the 2019 College Level Winner (College of Arts Letters and Sciences) of the UA Little Rock Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching. In 2021, Hakutani was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in New York City.
