Erika Dohi
Described as "virtuosic" (NY Times) and "barrier-defying artist" (Mix Magazine), Osaka-born and New York-based pianist Erika Dohi is a multi-faceted artist with an eclectic musical background. From highly polished traditional classical to bold improvisation, she is a dynamic performer whose timeless style and unidiomatic technique sets her apart in contemporary NYC avant-garde circles.
I, Castorpollux, Dohi’s debut solo album, which was released in May 2021 under 37d03d, the label founded by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner (The National), is a profound personal excavation set to a gripping landscape of wild, genre-fluid composition; a virtuosic, but emotionally generous convergence of the technical and the spiritual. With understated piano & keyboards at its center, I, Castorpollux is equal parts hazy nostalgia, science-fiction soundtrack, and electro-acoustic experimentation.
The project features contributions from Channy Leaneagh (Poliça), Andy Akiho, Immanuel Wilkins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jeremy Boettcher, Emily Wells, Zach Hanson, and is produced by William Brittelle, a vital modern composer himself. The album has received "The Best Ambient Albums in May 2021" (Bandcamp), "Best of the Week" (Brooklyn Vegan and JAZZIZ Magazine), described as a "retro-futuristic piece of poetry" (Mixmag), and was featured on The New York Times' Playlist and WNYC's New Sounds/Soundcheck.
Erika is the co-founder of BLUEPRINTS Piano Series and accompanying festival, In Visible Roads, in collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble, as well as RighteousGIRLS, whose album gathering blue has been hailed by Downbeat as “one of the most adventurous new music debut albums in recent years.” Dohi has performed William Brittelle's Spiritual America with Metropolis Ensemble at The Hollywood Bowl opening for Bon Iver and TU Dance, the Central Park Summer Stage with Ensemble LPR, and has made appearances at international festivals including the D.C. Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, Tokyo Experimental Festival, INTERSECT Festival in Bryant Park, and at the Time’s Arrow Festival.
She is a part of the six-piano ensemble Grand Band, most recently performed at Peak Performances at Montclair State University. The performance was featured at WNET’s ALL ARTS in January 2021, featuring the works by Julius Eastman, Kate Moore, Julia Wolfe, and Missy Mazzoli. As an improviser, she is a pianist for the avant-garde trumpeter, Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quintet, and performed at SFJazz as part of ECM 50th Anniversary.
Performances by this Artist
Works by this Artist
