AKA: “Torch”

Age: 27

Height: 5’9″

Ethnicity: Japanese/Eastern European

Places Lived: Born and raised in San Antonio, TX.  Went to college in Cleveland, OH for 5 years.  I currently live in Ann Arbor, MI.

Favorite BoR Song: The last 1:50 of the last track of the new album (IV. Finale)

Why? It is a cinematic passage of epic proportions – it just sounds so cool!

Musical Influences: My cello teachers over the years – Richard Aaron, Anthony Elliott, Norman Fischer, Stephen Geber, Ken Ishii (my father), and of course Patrick, Ivan, and Laura.

Quirks: I don’t eat fast food and butter.  I have never owned a TV – don’t try to talk to me about TV shows!

Favorite Cuisine: Anything Asian

Best Part of Being in BoR: Rocking out with the band and interacting with our diverse fan base.

Worst Part of Being in BoR: Traveling in the van…

Activities Outside BoR: Teaching my cello students, cooking, real estate, traveling and learning about other cultures, discovering new music, and meeting unusual people.

BIO

I received my degrees from the University of Michigan (DMA), the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM, MM), and the Toho School of Music in Japan (Performers Certificate).  I was Assistant Principal of the Akron Symphony, a regular substitute with the San Antonio Symphony, and participated in numerous summer festivals including Spoleto USA, Kneisel Hall, and Aspen.  As an educator, I have been on faculty at the Sphinx Preparatory Institute (Detroit) and the Five Seasons Chamber Music Festival (Iowa).  Last summer I founded and directed the Ann Arbor Cello Camp, an intensive summer cello workshop offering master classes, technique classes, eurythmics, and cello ensemble experience.  I have taught at the college level as Graduate Student Instructor of Cello at the University of Michigan School of Music, where I provided cello instruction to 10 undergraduate and graduate students.  Please visit my website www.thecellodoctor.com for more information.