Erica Ogihara

Hailing from Miami Florida, cellist Erica Ogihara is a passionate performer and teacher. Her repertoire ranges from works as diverse as Jamaican-British composer Eleanor Alberga’s second string quartet to beloved classics such as Arnold Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2.

Erica’s concert programming balances traditional masterpieces with delightfully contemporary and undiscovered works. Inspired one summer by a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Piano Trio, Erica has put together projects including chamber works by Olivier Messiaen and Osvaldo Golijov, which led to her participation in masterclasses with artists such as pianist Ursula Oppens and violinist Ida Kavafian. Also a multi-disciplinary collaborator, her most recent performance was in affiliation with DanceAspen. Heard as a soloist with orchestras including the Alhambra Symphony Orchestra and the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, Erica has also been a laureate at several competitions including the Walenstein Music Competition and the Artist Series of Sarasota Competition.

As an educator, Erica wishes to cultivate a love of music through her teaching, and to provide music education to as many people as possible. Selected as a 2021 Fellow at ArtistYear, she taught music and cello at Colorado’s District I Schools through her service year. Erica received her Suzuki teacher training with Pamela Devenport at the School For Strings, New York City’s premier Suzuki school. She was a Morse Teaching Fellow and Gluck Community Engagement Fellow through The Juilliard School, and graduated with a prestigious Career Advancement Fellowship award.

​Erica began her studies on the cello at the age of 10 with Audrey Pilafian. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Brandon Vamos of the Pacifica Quartet. Erica completed her Master’s Degree from Juilliard, and also holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory. Her teachers include Darrett Adkins, Natasha Brofsky, Ross Harbaugh, and Judith Serkin.