Alex Hayashi

Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Alex Hayashi attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned his BM in Oboe Performance (2011).  He went on to the University of Michigan, where he obtained his MM (2013) and his DMA (2016), both in Oboe Performance.

Hayashi teaches applied oboe, instrumental oboe methods, and coaches the freshman woodwind quintet at Western Michigan University. He regularly conducts masterclasses at universities throughout the country, including Bowling Green State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During the summers, he conducts lessons and masterclasses in Japan, most recently working with students in the Kyushu region (Southwest Japan). Hayashi also serves as Oboe and Winds Faculty at the Clear Creek Music Festival and has instructed at the U-M MPulse Oboe Institute and the Hawaii Youth Symphony Pacific Music Institute.

As a performer, Hayashi is well-versed in large ensembles, chamber music, and solo venues on both oboe and English horn. He has performed with US orchestras including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Hayashi also has international performance experience at festivals and competitions in Japan, Austria, Switzerland, and the British Isles. He is a regular member of the TAD Wind Symphony, a wind band based in Tokyo, Japan and led by Takayoshi “TAD” Suzuki. Hayashi was recently invited to the 4th Barbirolli International Oboe Festival and Competition, where he received the Jennifer Elstub Memorial Prize for his rendition of the York Bowen Sonata.

Most recently, Hayashi recorded an album of Japanese composed oboe and piano works with University of Michigan faculty member, Dr. Matthew Thompson. Their CD, JAPONICA, is now available, by Equilibrium Records. Hayashi and Dr. Thompson performed a selection of JAPONICA at the 2018 International Double Reed Society Conference held in Granada, Spain.

Hayashi’s primary teachers include Dr. Nancy Ambrose King, Dr. Stephen Caplan, and Susan Ochi-Onishi. In addition, Hayashi has studied with and participated in masterclasses with Alex Klein, Nathan Hughes, Rebecca Henderson, and Eugene Izotov, among others.

More information can be found on his website: www.ryutalex.com