photo by KyungGu Lee

BIOGRAPHY

Hiroya Tsukamoto is a one of a kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began his musical career playing the five-string banjo when he was thirteen, and took up the guitar shortly after. In 1994, Hiroya entered The Osaka University and while at college in Japan, Hiroya was introduced to a musical and social movement in South America called Nueva Cancion headed by musical legends such as Victor Jara and Violeta Parra.

In 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He is also the recipient of the Professional Music Achievement Award. Hiroya completed a debut album entitiled "The Other Side of the World" with his band INTEROCEANICO and released in 2004. His composition entitled "El Otro Lado del Mundo" was nominated as the finalist of The USA Songwriting Competition 2004 and "Samba de Siempre" in 2005. Hiroya released his second album entitled "Confluencia(Confluence) in 2006 and the third album"Where the River Shines" in 2008.

Hiroya plays with diffrerent projects such as a billboard nominated singer Marta Gomez and also he has been leading many concerts including several appearances with his group at Blue Note in New York.

In 2011, he appeared on the one of the long-running folk music TV show "Horses Sing None of It" which was hosted by Ralph Litwin.

"Hiroya has pioneered a sub-genre of world music that mirrors the multicultural make up of the ensemble"
-The Asahi

"A Japanese guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto takes us to an impressionistic journey"
-Boston Herald

Guitars: Hongoh Guitars Nylon & Steel String guitars, Ibanez AM-200, Fender Telecaster, Sadowsky Strat

Amps: Orange tiny terror, JBL EON-G2 Powered Speaker, Polytone Mega-Brute

Hiroya plays Hongoh Guitars

HONGOH HANDMADE GUITARS WEBSITE