Ellen Masaki

Ellen Masaki (née Kimura, 1928–2009) was an American music teacher and pianist.^[1][2][3][4] During her sixty-year career, she taught nearly 3,000 children in Hawaii, including concert pianists Sean Kennard and Lisa Nakamichi.^[5][6][7][8] She also ran the Ellen Masaki School of Music, which had an estimated 45,000 students over fifty years.^[9]

Ellen Masaki

Masaki was recognized by the Music Teachers National Association as Teacher of the Year in 2000.^[5][10] She was the first recipient of the award.^[10] Composer Tobias Picker was commissioned by the Honolulu Symphony to write his Piano Concerto No. 3: Kilauea, which he dedicated to Masaki, and which she premiered in 1988.^[11][4]