I’ve been playing the cello for over 20 years. I recently moved to Colorado from Phoenix, Arizona where I was an active teacher and performer. I have performed throughout Arizona with The Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera, West Valley Symphony, and Tucson Repertory Orchestra, with whom I toured Japan for a series of concerts in 2015.
As an active member of the American String Teachers Association, I served as a board member and teacher for Cellobration since 2015- an annual day of learning and music making for over a hundred cellists from around Arizona. I also held the title of Assistant Orchestra Director at Red Mountain High School where I taught weekly cello sectionals for their four orchestras. I am currently excited to be expanding my pedagogical experience by completing training in the Suzuki Method.
I have a B.M from the University of Denver and a M.M. from Arizona State University where I studied with Richard Slavich and Thomas Landschoot, respectively. During my studies, I had the opportunity to perform in master classes for artists such as David Ying, Julie Albers, and the Borromeo, St. Lawrence, and Shanghai String Quartets. One of my favorite memories of my musical studies is studying abroad in London for a semester.
Blackstone is the translation of my last name, Kuroiwa.