Ryan Hirokawa is an oboist originally from Honolulu, HI, and currently based in Austin, TX. Ryan has performed in a variety of settings; ranging from principal oboe in orchestras to chamber music outreach. He has performed with ensembles such as the Victoria Symphony, Central Texas Philharmonic, Austin Unconducted, and the contemporary music group SoundMap Ensemble to name a few. Ryan has also attended the Marrowstone Music Festival, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Chautauqua Institution.
Along with being a performing artist, Ryan is very passionate about music education. In past summers he has served as an assistant oboe clinician at the Pacific Music Institute, the summer music camp for the Hawai’i Youth Symphony. Ryan currently has a growing private studio, teaching primarily in the Austin area.
Ryan is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Oboe Performance at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also serves as the Teaching Assistant to the oboe studio. He previously received a Master of Music (MM) from UT Austin, and a Bachelor of Music (BM) from the University of Michigan. Ryan’s primary teachers include Andrew Parker, Nancy Ambrose King, and Susan Ochi-Onishi.
When not playing the oboe Ryan enjoys working out, catching up on the NBA, cheering for Michigan Football, and reminiscing about surfing back home in Hawai'i.