Faculty

Major teachers include Frank Iogha, David Kaiserman, Frances Larimer, and Elena Shishko. Chao-Casano has been recognized as a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She also holds a Performer’s Certificate from the St. Petersburg Piano Institute (Russia). Chao-Casano has served on the executive boards of the Music Teachers National Association, Pacific School of the Performing Arts, Honolulu Piano Teachers Association, and the Hawaii Music Teachers Association. In 2015, Chao-Casano was selected as a Community Arts Education Leadership Institute fellow, a program sponsored by the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Chao-Casano is a licensed Kindermusik educator and has taught piano at DePaul University, Brigham Young University - Hawai‘i, and University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She serves on the MTNA National Certification Commission.

 

Major teachers include Hiroko Primrose and Nell Gotkovsky. Bradshaw has appeared as a soloist with the Utah Valley and Utah Symphonies, and has performed internationally with her family and students. Bradshaw won first place in the MTNA Collegiate Chamber Music Competition with her BYU piano quartet. With over thirty years of private lesson teaching experience, she has also directed chamber music and orchestra groups since 2001, including two youth orchestras at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Bradshaw also established the Bay Area Youth Symphony in Houston. She loves playing and teaching a wide range of music, including fiddling and Irish music.  

 

Bradshaw has taught at Punahou since 2024.

Major teachers include Ola Karlsson, Tanya Remenikova, and Otto Freudenthal. Dr. Carlson is the Director of Academy Orchestras at Punahou School. In addition to teaching, he has extensive chamber music and orchestral performance credits in the U.S. and abroad, having performed with Gothenburg Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Stockholm Royal Opera Orchestra. He also served as Adjunct Professor of Cello at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. Dr. Carlson is a member of the Music Teachers National Association and the American String Teachers Association.

Dr. Carlson has taught at Punahou since 2005.

 

Major teachers include Frank Iogha and Rose Tanner. Casano has been recognized as a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music by the Music Teachers National Association and serveds as the Hawai‘i representative for the National Music Certificate Program. Casano has served on the executive boards of the Hawai‘i Music Teachers Association and the Honolulu Piano Teachers Association. He has also taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Casano has taught at Punahou since 2001.

 

Dr. Hamano has taught at Punahou since 2010.

Major teachers include Karen Bechtel and Dr. I-Bei Lin. Hamano has performed with the National Orchestral Institute, the Brevard Repertory Orchestra, the Maui Symphony, and the Honolulu Symphony. He is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, the American String Teachers Association, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Hamano has taught at Punahou since 2011.

Major teachers include Stephen Caplan, and Nancy Ambrose King. Dr. Hayashi is an oboist and personal trainer, currently teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as the Lecturer of Oboe. He has been featured as guest soloist with ensembles including the West Point Band, the Rochester Symphony Orchestra (Rochester, MI) and the Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he has performed with ensembles around the country including the Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra, Detroit Opera Theatre, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, Dr. Hayashi received the Jennifer Elstub Memorial Prize at the 4th Barbirolli International Oboe Festival and Competition. He has recorded an album of Japanese composed oboe and piano pieces with Dr. Matthew Thompson, JAPONICA, which is available on streaming platforms. Dr. Hayashi is a Marigaux Oboe Artist.

Dr. Hayashi has taught at Punahou since 2022.

 

Major teachers include Dr. Stewart Gordon, Dr. Ronald Morgan, Professor Peter Coraggio, and Christine Suehisa. In addition to over twenty years of teaching experience, Kim has extensive performance credits as an accompanied soloist and principal pianist for prominent churches in Southern California and Hawai‘i. She has also participated in prestigious music festivals, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Brevard Music Festival. In addition to teaching piano, Kim is a member of the Hawai‘i Music Teachers Association and the Music Teachers National Association.

 

Kim has taught at Punahou since 2024.

Major teacher, Todd Yukumoto. Hirano is the Drum Major and a saxophonist in the Royal Hawaiian Band. He has also performed with the 111th Army Band (Hawaii Army National Guard), the Eric Miyashiro Big Band Hawai‘i, Honolulu Symphonic Winds, Honolulu Saxophone Quartet, and the University of Hawai‘i Saxophone Choir.

Hirano has also taught Saxophone at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa and conducts the Hawai‘i High School Saxophone Ensemble. Hirano serves as the Vice President of the Hawai‘i Saxophone Foundation.

Hirano has taught at Punahou since 2019.

MM (Manhattan School of Music), MA (New York University), BM (Eastman School of Music)

Major teachers include Donn-Alexandre Feder, Thomas Schumacher, and Ernest Chang. Kawamoto is an experienced piano teacher and solo and collaborative pianist. In addition, Kawamoto is a trained music therapist. She holds a degree in Music Therapy from NYU and also completed Nordoff-Robbins Certification through in-depth training at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy.

Kawamoto has taught at Punahou since 2021.

Major teachers include Leonard Posner and LaVar Krantz. Dr. Kinariwala was a member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra for 33 years and also performed as a member of the Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra. Dr. Kinariwala has over 25 years of teaching experience. She is also certified as a Suzuki violin teacher, having received her training with Marilyn O’ Boyle.

Dr. Kinariwala has taught at Punahou since 2012.

Major teachers include Bill Reichenbach, Ira Nepus, Loren Marsteller, Andy Martin, Steve Trapani, Terry Cravens, and Paul Young. He has done extensive work in recording studios and live performances in Los Angeles for classical, commercial, jazz and world music. King also was a member of the Disneyland Band. He teaches applied brass lessons at Brigham Young University - Hawai‘i and is completing his Post-Baccalaureate Teaching Certification at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa.

King has taught at Punahou since 2022.

Major teachers include Ernest Chang and Dr. Ron Morgan. In addition to over ten years of teaching experience, Kono has extensive performance credits as a collaborative pianist, having accompanied soloists for state competitions and workshops.

Kono has taught at Punahou since 2011.

MM (Eastman School of Music), BA Music Performance (University of New Hampshire)

 

Major teachers include Denise Tryon, Andrew Bain, Peter Kurau, John Boden and Jean Rife. Lickwar has performed with Royal Hawaiian Band, Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Pacific Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has served as Lecturer in Horn at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa since 2018. Lickwar has also presented lectures on topics from horn pedagogy for the 2024 Mid-South Horn Workshop, American School Band Directors’ Association (ASBDA), Oahu Band Directors’ Association (OBDA), and at the 2015 International Horn Society Symposium.

 

Lickwar has taught at Punahou since 2025.

BA (University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa)

Martin originally hails from Fairbanks, Alaska, where he studied clarinet in the arctic with Kathleen and Dr. Theodore DeCorso.  Other major teachers include Henry Miyamura, James Moffitt, and Scott Anderson.  In addition to teaching clarinet, Martin performs on clarinet and bass clarinet with the Royal Hawaiian Band.

Martin has taught at Punahou since 2021.

 

Major teachers include Dr. Peyden Shelton, Travis Peterson, and Dr. Barbara Hull. Pascual is an Army Musician for the 25th Infantry Division Band, Schofield Barracks, HI. He has also performed with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Royal Hawaii Band, 3rd Infantry Division Band (Fort Stewart, GA) and The Desert Winds (Las Vegas, NV). Pascual has performed internationally with various ensembles including the UNLV Wind Orchestra and the 3rd Infantry Division Band. Pascual was a Co-Finalist in the International Trumpet Guild Orchestral Excerpt Competition and a Semi-Finalist in the Roger Voisin Trumpet Competition. Pascual is an S. E. Shires Artist.

MM (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa), BM (Capital Normal University)

 

Major teachers include Dr. Jonathan Korth, Dr. Thomas Yee, and Professor Hexin Fan. Peng has taught piano privately since 2015 and maintains an active teaching studio. She has appeared as a collaborative pianist and soloist in chamber music performances and recitals in Beijing, including the Concert for Contemporary Chinese Piano Works and the Fifth Capital University Piano Communication Concert. In addition, she has studied piano pedagogy with Professor Hexin Fan.

Peng has taught at Punahou since 2025.

Major teachers include Professor Natayla Antonova, Dr. John Milbauer, and Dr. Thomas Yee. Dr. Ramos has won top prizes at competitions such as the Music Teachers National Association and the Lois Trester Competition. He has also participated in prestigious music festivals including the Colburn School of Music Summer Program, the Chautauqua Piano Program, and the Piano Program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Dr. Ramos has a passion for championing music by female composers and historic composers of color. As an educator, Dr. Ramos taught at the collegiate level for five years throughout his graduate studies. He is currently a lecturer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and serves on the executive board of the Hawaiʻi Music Teachers Association.

Ramos has taught at Punahou since 2023.

Reeves has taught at Punahou since 2014.

Taba is a freelance bassist, composer, producer, and educator. Taba has worked in commercial studios in Los Angeles and maintains a regular performing, teaching, recording and producing schedule.  A respected clinician and educator (Los Angeles Music Academy, Musician’s Institute, Cal-Poly Pomona, Grove School of Music) Dean has recently performed/recorded with Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, Mark Murphy, Jake Shimabukuo, Andy Summers, Sadao Watanabe, The San Francisco Symphony, Hiroshima, Rick Braun, The American Jazz Institute Orchestra, Dave Koz, Jeff Richman, Pauline Wilson, The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Ho, Bill Watrous, and many others as well as playing on countless CDs, TV shows, and movie soundtracks. He serves as the Director of the University of Hawaii-Manoa Jazz Ensemble, Hawaii Youth Symphony Jazz and Jazz+ programs, and Pacific Music Institute Jazz Summer Intensive.

Taba has taught at Punahou since 2020.

Major teachers include Constance Uejio of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra and JoAnn Turovsky of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the LA Opera Orchestra. She has performed at the American Harp Society Summer Harp Institute in Los Angeles and has played the harp with both the Honolulu Symphony and Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestras. Taba has performed on many recordings in Hawai‘i and Los Angeles. 

Taba has taught at Punahou since 2019.

 

Major teachers include Dr. David Colson, Dr. Doug Walter, Billy Hart, Bill Dobbins, Harold Danko, Jeff Campbell, Rich Thompson, Dr. Chris Azzara, Dr. Richard Grunow, and Dr. John. Coggiola. Ward has performed in various ensembles spanning different genres throughout the United States and Canada. Currently, he is the percussion section leader for the Royal Hawaiian Band.

Major teachers include Joelle Morton, Doug Basy, eDennis Trembly and Nico Abondolo. Yamamoto performs as a member of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the former Orchestra Nova, Long Beach Symphony, Riverside Symphony, Philharmonie der Nationen and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra. Yamamoto maintains an active bass studio.

Yamamoto has taught at Punahou since 2020.