Justin Kawashima
Encyclopedia
Justin Kawashima is a film sound editor, music producer, and arranger
.
, but his family moved to the United States
that same year. He grew up in Houston, Texas
graduating from Memorial High School. He attended New York University
and majored in Music History. Kawashima was accepted into the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop
making him the youngest person to join the group until Robert Lopez
(who later won a Tony Award
for writing Avenue Q) took that honor.
He has been a sound designer for films including Hal Hartley
's feature, The Girl From Monday
, starring Bill Sage
and Sabrina Lloyd
; and Opera No 1, featuring Parker Posey
and James Urbaniak
. He designed sound for Japanese film legend Takeshi Kitano
's Production company, Office Kitano, on the feature Big River, and the 1818 short film, Running Time
, starring Yul Vazquez
, and Sam Rockwell
.
In the dance world, he has collaborated as composer and sound designer on several new works with Bessie-Award-winning choreographer David Neumann including Pearl River and the Central Park SummerStage concert performance featuring beat-poet John Giorno
. Commissioned for the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Deep Six extended the collaboration to include veteran New York musicians Gary Seligson on drums and Dave Philips on Bass.
As a musician, Kawashima has been a producer and an arranger for major label and independent artists including American Idol
s Nikki McKibbin
, and several other projects for multi-platinum mixer Andy Zulla
. He provided additional production and mastering on the soundtrack
, Possible Music, a collection of songs from the films of Hal Hartley
. As an instrumentalist, Kawashima has performed with former Chucklehead MC Eben Levy in the electro-funk band Ejectrode, and was guitarist and keyboardist with the Pulitzer Prize
-winning musical Rent
, performing with the National Touring Production and on Broadway
. He currently resides in Naperville, Illinois
with his wife, Lisa Walter, and their three daughters, Adrienne, Cameron and Deirdre.
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
.
Biography
Justin Kawashima was born in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but his family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that same year. He grew up in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
graduating from Memorial High School. He attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and majored in Music History. Kawashima was accepted into the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop
The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is a workshop in New York for musical theatre composers, lyricists and librettists.-History:The BMI Workshop was founded in 1961 by Lehman Engel and the performing rights organization BMI ....
making him the youngest person to join the group until Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez is an American composer and lyricist of musicals best known for co-writing the Broadway musical Avenue Q and for co-creating the musical The Book of Mormon, receiving Tony Awards for both works....
(who later won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for writing Avenue Q) took that honor.
He has been a sound designer for films including Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley is an American film director, screenwriter, producer composer, who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and 1990s...
's feature, The Girl From Monday
The Girl from Monday
The Girl from Monday is a 2005 American film directed by Hal Hartley. The film deals with the consequences of business monopolization and globalization. Filmed in New York City and Puerto Rico, the film was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival...
, starring Bill Sage
Bill Sage
William "Bill" Sage III is an American actor and alumnus of State University of New York at Purchase.- Filmography :* Simple Men ... as Dennis McCabe* Flirt ... as Bill...
and Sabrina Lloyd
Sabrina Lloyd
Sabrina Lloyd is an American film and television actress.She has played the roles of Wade Welles in the science fiction series Sliders, and Natalie Hurley in the ABC sitcom Sports Night.-Early life:...
; and Opera No 1, featuring Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
and James Urbaniak
James Urbaniak
James Christian Urbaniak is an American actor. Urbaniak was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife Julie and their twins, son Severn Jerzy and daughter Esme Maeve....
. He designed sound for Japanese film legend Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
's Production company, Office Kitano, on the feature Big River, and the 1818 short film, Running Time
Running Time
Running Time may refer to:* Running Time * see Analysis of algorithms...
, starring Yul Vazquez
Yul Vazquez
Yul Vázquez was born in Cuba. He is an actor and he is married to Linda Larkin.He has appeared as “Bob” in the Seinfeld episodes “The Soup Nazi”, “The Sponge” and “The Puerto Rican Day”....
, and Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
.
In the dance world, he has collaborated as composer and sound designer on several new works with Bessie-Award-winning choreographer David Neumann including Pearl River and the Central Park SummerStage concert performance featuring beat-poet John Giorno
John Giorno
John Giorno is an American poet and performance artist. He founded the not-for-profit production company Giorno Poetry Systems and organized a number of early multimedia poetry experiments and events, including Dial-A-Poem. He became prominent as the subject of Andy Warhol's film Sleep...
. Commissioned for the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Deep Six extended the collaboration to include veteran New York musicians Gary Seligson on drums and Dave Philips on Bass.
As a musician, Kawashima has been a producer and an arranger for major label and independent artists including American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
s Nikki McKibbin
Nikki McKibbin
Katherine Nicole "Nikki" McKibbin is an American rock music singer-songwriter who finished third in the debut season of the reality television series American Idol. Prior to American Idol, McKibbin appeared in the first season of Popstars...
, and several other projects for multi-platinum mixer Andy Zulla
Andy Zulla
Andy Zulla is a record mixer, producer, composer and songwriter. Over the last 20 years he has been part of a diverse collection of projects including mixing major label and independent albums and singles, producing and composing songs and music for television and film as well as audio for video...
. He provided additional production and mastering on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, Possible Music, a collection of songs from the films of Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley is an American film director, screenwriter, producer composer, who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and 1990s...
. As an instrumentalist, Kawashima has performed with former Chucklehead MC Eben Levy in the electro-funk band Ejectrode, and was guitarist and keyboardist with the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning musical Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, performing with the National Touring Production and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. He currently resides in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
with his wife, Lisa Walter, and their three daughters, Adrienne, Cameron and Deirdre.