Pianist Tomoko Kashiwagi finds great joy in playing the diverse repertoire she encounters as a performer and as an educator. Kashiwagi is a believer of lifelong learning, embracing curiosity, and being inspired by the dynamic, creative people in this world.

Kashiwagi completed her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees as well as the Performer Diploma in Piano Performance at Indiana University where she studied with Professors Shigeo and Reiko Neriki.  It did not take long for Kashiwagi to realize the importance of chamber music and ensemble playing as a musician and that she truly enjoys interacting with other musicians.  She is the first recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Texas at Austin where she studied with Prof. Anne Epperson.  

Kashiwagi has performed in such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Central Conservatory in Beijing, and Guildhall School in London among others.  She was the staff pianist for the renowned Meadowmount School of Music for six summers and more recently, a pianist at the Interlochen Intensive Institute during the summer.  She is frequently invited to be the official pianist for conferences, competitions, and festivals throughout the United States, including Menuhin International Violin Competition in 2014 and International Tuba and Euphonium Conference in 2019.

Kashiwagi joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville in 2012.  Currently, she is the Associate Professor of Piano and Collaborative Piano and holder of the Emily J. McAllister Endowed Chair. She keeps a busy schedule balancing her teaching at the university as well as a small private studio, performing as a collaborative pianist, and as the principal keyboard player of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. As the winner of the 2023 Community Activator grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kashiwagi continues to spread the joy of chamber music in northwest Arkansas as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music of the Ozarks and the Chamber Music on the Mountain Summer Festival.