Kishi Bashi

The pseudonym of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi, Kishi Bashi was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia where both of his parents were professors at Old Dominion University. As a 1994 graduate of Matthew Fontaine Maury High School, he went on to study film scoring at Berklee College of Music, before becoming a renowned violinist – which provided him with the opportunity to work, record, and tour internationally with diverse artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and most recently, the Athens.

A successful solo artist in his own right, Ishibashi debuted his full-length solo album 151a on Indianapolis label Joyful Noise Recordings – leading NPR All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen to list Bashi as his favorite new artist of 2012. Since then, he has been invited to play in major festivals such as SXSW and Austin City Limits.