Hitomi Honda [b. May 11th, 1981 ] is a New York City–based pianist, keyboardist, and improviser whose work focuses on music of today and the future—while maintaining a deep affection for Baroque repertoire. Her performance practice centers on post-1950s experimental and contemporary music, particularly works associated with the New York School and composers connected to
John Cage.
Her career as a contemporary piano performer began in 2013, when electroacoustic composer and multimedia artist Akio Mokuno commissioned her to premiere his first solo piano work, Mullaly Park 09/10. She was subsequently invited to perform the same work at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival in 2014, and has continued to premiere and collaborate on
new works with him since then.
Her performance of Four More (1956) by Earle Brown at Make Music New York 2016 was
reviewed by music critic Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times, who wrote: “I especially enjoyed … Earle Brown’s complex pointillist Four More, a solo work incisively played by Ms. Honda.”
An important artistic turning point came through her encounter with pianist, keyboardist, and
improviser Thollem McDonas, which opened a new direction in solo piano improvisation. This
development led to collaborative projects with visual artists, vocalists, and instrumentalists,
expanding her work across interdisciplinary and experimental performance contexts. Her
improvisation practice has also led to a current interdisciplinary performance collaboration with
visual artist Dr. Eiich Tosaki.
Hitomi Honda holds a BFA in Classical Piano from the City College of New York, where she studied under Alison Deane and was awarded the Josephine & Lester M. Gershen Music Scholarship. She later earned an M.Mus in Piano Performance from Brooklyn College, CUNY, studying under Adam Kent. Her dedication to pushing the boundaries of piano performance has established her as a skilled and respected artist in the contemporary music world.