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Contemporary American

CHIHARA, Paul

Black and white photo of Paul Chihara
Image courtesy of IMDB

Born in Seattle, July 9, 1938

  • Japanese-American composer Paul Chihara is known for both his film and concert music.
  • In 1962, Chihara was awarded the Lili Boulanger Memorial Award while studying with renowned pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger, in Paris. In 1965, Chihara earned his DMA in composition from Cornell University.
  • Though he began his musical career as a classical composer and educator at UCLA, Chihara added film scoring to his credentials in the mid 1970s. He has since composed scores for over 90 films and tv shows.1

Learn More
Short bio via the L. A. Phil
Bio via Naxos

Sources

  1. “Paul Chihara,” LinkedIn, accessed October 8, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-chihara-94264022.

Pieces