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Hiro dedicated himself for 9 years in the study of jazz piano/composition at University of North Texas, and he's currently *very* active in the music scene of Tokyo, Japan.Hiro has won numerous awards both as composer and player:2003 Henry Mancini Institute Composer Scholarship, 2004 DownBeat Best Extended Composition Award, 2005 Japanese Keyboard Magazine Arranging Contest (3rd place), 2005 Rittor Music "Mightiest Player Contest" Keyboard division Finalist, 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition Finalist (3rd Prize).As a leader, Hiro has released two albums - "Sharing" and "Back with the Cats," both of which have received high praise by many and have been on playlists of various radio stations in the US and Japan.Hiro has led two Japan tours with Shelley Carrol, renowned saxophonist/vocalist from the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The both tours have achieved great success and some of the shows have been broadcast on TV.In Tokyo, in addition to performing with his own group, Hiro has toured with with many lumineries including the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Shakuhachi master John Kaizan Neptune and a rising pop star Kana Uemura.Hiro has also been busy composing/track-making in many avenues including radio commercials, pop albums, theater, and internet multimedia.