A native of Hawaii, T.J. Keanu Tario is a composer and pianist. A graduate of The Juilliard School, and recent MFA graduate of the California Institute of the Arts in composition and film scoring.
T.J.’s compositions have been performed by ensembles including the New York Youth Symphony, the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra & the Attacca String Quartet. A recent performance for the concert stage include “Capriccio” for One Piano - Four Hands, commissioned by the Aloha International Piano Festival, and premiered by Lisa Nakamichi & Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
T.J.’s score to short film A Fish Out of Water (dir. Daniel Schloss,) was the Official 2017 Winner of Boundless in Brooklyn: A 48 Hour Dance Film Contest, and premiered at the Cinéma Majestic Passy/Écrans de Paris. Recent projects include the score to short film Perpetual Motion (dir. Micah Smith,) in collaboration with the Kamea Dance Company in Israel.
As pianist, he has won awards at competitions including the regional and national MTNA Competition, the Virginia Waring International Competition, Aloha International Piano Competition and the Stecher & Horowitz NY Piano Competition. Notable performances include those at NPR’s From the Top radio show, the Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Colorado College Music Festival, and the Château de Fontainebleau in the Écoles d’Art Festival.