An international pianist and a recording artist with ten released albums, Makiko Hirata is “Dr. Pianist,” on a mission to promote the power of music to heal and unite us. In addition to her concerts, she collaborates with neuroscientists to quantify the benefit of music and promote music as an overlooked social resource through speaking engagements, workshops and writing. She is a US-Japan Leadership Program Fellow.

"Music reminds us that what we share is greater than our differences"

Dr. Hirata has given recitals, lectures, concerto performances and outreach concerts in the Americas and Eurasia with ensembles and artists, such as the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Pecs Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, conductor Leon Fleisher, and clarinetist David Krakauer. She has taught at New York University, Colburn Conservatory of Music, Rice University, and Lone Star College, and given master classes and lectures internationally. 

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“Our individual health is affected by our relationships, the society that surrounds us, and how secure we feel about them. Music can help improve both.”

Passionate about researching the links between music and neuroscience, Makiko Hirata is a fervent believer in the power of music to turn the tide. 

Learn more about her work and the development of her research in this article from the Rice University Student Newspaper. 

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“Music heals” 

Many small individual changes can result in big social changes.

Interested in learning more about the link between Music and Wellness? Find out more in this 30-minute video, in which Makiko Hirata introduces us, based on a scientific method but explained in a simple way, to the impact that music can have on our lives. 

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Find more information about Makiko on her website!