About Erika
Osaka-born and New York-based pianist, composer, and creative producer Erika Dohi is a multi-faceted artist with an eclectic musical background.
Described as “virtuosic” by The New York Times and a “barrier-defying artist” by Mix Magazine, Osaka-born and New York-based pianist, composer, and vocalist Erika Dohi is a multi-faceted artist with an eclectic musical background. Moving fluidly between highly polished classical repertoire, electro-acoustic experimentation, and bold improvisation, she has developed a distinctive, unidiomatic approach that sets her apart within New York’s contemporary avant-garde landscape.
Her second solo album, Myth of Tomorrow (Switch Hit Records & Figureight), is a sonic meditation on catastrophe, resilience, and rebirth. Released to critical acclaim, the album received 4 stars in DownBeat, which noted that Dohi is “constructing her own sonic world — into which she invites the rest of us from time to time.” Inspired by Taro Okamoto’s monumental Hiroshima mural of the same name, the album merges historical trauma with Dohi’s own personal upheaval in 2020, marking a significant evolution in her artistic voice. Expanding her already eclectic palette, she seamlessly weaves together elements of dance, jazz, ambient, and classical composition, incorporating traditional Japanese instruments, the iconic Fairlight CMI synthesizer, and her own mesmeric vocals. Created during her residency at Figure 8 Recording in partnership with Forgotten Futures and produced by Grammy-winning composer William Brittelle with support from Metropolis Ensemble, the record moves between radiance and melancholia, deep sea–like electronic propulsion and intimate piano-driven introspection.
Dohi’s debut solo album, I, Castorpollux (2021), was released on 37d03d, the label founded by Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner. A genre-fluid convergence of the technical and the spiritual, the album features collaborations with Channy Leaneagh (Poliça), Andy Akiho, Immanuel Wilkins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jeremy Boettcher (S. Carey), Emily Wells, and Zach Hanson (S. Carey), and was produced by composer William Brittelle.
I, Castorpollux was named among “The Best Ambient Albums” by Bandcamp and “Best of the Week” by Brooklyn Vegan and JAZZIZ. Additional praise came from MinnPost, DCist, and features on The New York Times Playlist, WNYC’s New Sounds/Soundcheck and BBC World Service. The project was presented nationally at festivals and venues including Liquid Music Series (Minneapolis), the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW Festival, Constellation (Chicago), D.C. Jazz Festival, Earshot Jazz Festival (Seattle), Eaux Claires (Eau Claire, WI) and Ecstatic Music Festival at Kaufmann Music Center (NYC).
As a performer, Dohi has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl with Metropolis Ensemble opening for Bon Iver, Central Park SummerStage, Big Ears Festival, Vision Festival, Harlem Stage, SFJAZZ as part of ECM’s 50th Anniversary, and international festivals including Darmstadt (Germany), Montreal Jazz Festival, Sounds from a Safe Harbour (Cork, Ireland), and Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. She is a pianist in International Contemporary Ensemble, Wadada Leo Smith’s Kikuyu Ensemble and a member of the six-piano ensemble Grand Band.
Dohi is co-founder of the BLUEPRINTS Piano Series and festival In Visible Roads in collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble, and co-founder of the flute and piano duo RighteousGIRLS. RighteousGIRLS’ debut album gathering blue was hailed by DownBeat as “one of the most adventurous new music debut albums in recent years,” receiving 4.5 stars and recognition as a Best Album of 2015.
As a composer, Dohi has participated in the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at Mass MoCA and the Atlantic Center for the Arts with composer Judd Greenstein. She has been commissioned by Metropolis Ensemble, Switch~ Ensemble, Grand Band, and the independent entertainment company A24 for the Song Reader box set project for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. She is a recipient of New Music USA’s 2022 Creator Development Grant and the 2023 Figure 8 and Forgotten Futures Artist Residency Programs.