Piano
Yuka Hamano Hunt was born in Japan and began studying piano at 4-years-old. At 15 she began to study composition and went on to receive her Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo. After college, she was a private piano instructor and studied Jazz piano technique. Her interest with Jazz brought her to Boston where she attended Berklee College of Music from where she received her diploma in Jazz and Classical piano performance. Her mentors include Ed Bedner, Koichi Uzaki, Rie Takatori.
Yuka performs throughout New England as a soloist, and with the trio SKY Chamber Ensemble, (with Kenji Kikuchi, reeds; Shandy Phillips, violin;) which performs original composition and 20th Century classical music. An active chamber music musician, composer, arranger, Yuka is also founding member of the chamber trio Athena (with Anna Maria Manalo, violin; Susanna Porte, cello) which is establishing an audience in eastern Massachusetts and New York City. She teaches classical and jazz piano, basic music theory, composition technique for all ages and all levels.