About Us
StringBone! started in Pittsburgh, PA in 2008. We relocated to San Diego, CA in 2015, and have been performing throughout the area. In 2018, we relocated to Okinawa, Japan. In September of 2024, we moved to Virginia Beach/ Norfolk and Chesapeake area. Both members are highly trained musicians who love playing and sharing their music.
Naoko Hirai (trombone)
平井七央子
Naoko Hirai has had the indispensable opportunity to perform and collaborate with excellent musicians in her professional field located in and around her hometown, Osaka, Japan. Hirai has performed with wind bands, orchestras, chamber ensembles with her specialty being playing with trombone quartets. She has also performed solo recitals in the Kansai-area including Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Nara.
Hirai had the honor of receiving the Cultural Ambassador award 2007-2008 from the Rotary International. After she received her Master of Music degree from Duquesne in 2009, Hirai returned to Duquesne with a full scholarship to pursue an Artist Diploma. She has studied classical trombone with Fujio Isogai, HIroo Yamashita, Tadaaki Yokokawa and Peter Sullivan. She also has studied jazz trombone with Joe Dallas.
She worked as a freelance musician and also participates in numerous high profile groups such as Alia Musica, Ovre Arts, StringBone! and Pittsburgh's only Brazilian Choro ensemble, Choro No Vinho. Hirai taught low brass and piano at Hope Academy. She also coached the brass section in the East Liberty Community Engagement Orchestra.
After relocating to San Diego, California, in 2015, she worked as a band instructor, teaching students from elementary to high school. Also, she engaged as a performer in a wide range of genres, including big bands, musical shows, orchestras, Brazilian music bands, and rock bands. In 2017, she participated in the International Trombone Festival as a member of the San Diego Trombone Collective.
In 2018, she moved to Okinawa. She primarily performed as a substitute trombonist in concerts and recording projects with professional organizations such as the Ryukyu Symphony Orchestra, Ryukyu Philharmonic, and C-Brass Wind Orchestra. Additionally, she established the Futenma Choro Project with Mike to promote Brazilian choro music alongside local musicians.
In August 2018, she joined the Trombone Quartet Ruke with the trombonists of Ryukyu Symphony Orchestra. While planning and managing chamber music concerts, the quartet started trombone workshops twice a year for local students and amateur players from 2022. In September 2023, they organized the first trombone festival in the prefecture (including workshops, concerts, and exhibitions), successfully. In 2024, Hirai worked at Okinawa University of Arts as an adjunct faculty.
After her quartets' 10th anniversary concert in the summer of 2024, she relocated to Virginia Beach area. She currently resides in Chesapeake.
大阪教育大学教養学科音楽コース卒業後、米国デュケイン大学院にて助手を務めながら修士号とArtist Diplomaを取得。卒業後は同大学非常勤講師兼フリーランス奏者としてAlia Musica PittsburghやOvre Arts Sinfonia等、現代音楽や室内楽を中心にペンシルバニア州ピッツバーグにて活動。2009年よりギターとトロンボーンのデュオ、Stringbone!の活動も始める。2015年に拠点をカリフォルニア州サンディエゴに移した後はバンド指導者兼演奏者として小学校から高校までの指導を行い、ビッグバンド、ミュージカル、オーケストラ、ブラジル音楽、ロックバンドなど幅広いジャンルで活動。2017年にはSan Diego Trombone CollectiveのメンバーとしてInternational Trombone Festivalに参加する。2018年より沖縄に移住し、フリーランス奏者として琉球交響楽団、琉球フィルハーモニック、C-Brassウインドオーケストラ等の客演奏者として県内で活動。2018年よりトロンボーンカルテットルーク「琉心」に加入し、精力的に演奏、教育活動を行う。2022年度より年に2回のトロンボーン講習会を開催。また2023年9月には初のトロンボーンフェスティバル（ワークショップ＆コンサート）を主催。2024年、沖縄県立芸術大学非常勤講師を務める。7月にトロンボーンカルテットルーク10周年記念コンサート出演後、バージニア州チェサピークに移住。
トロンボーンを横川忠明、磯貝富治男、山下浩生、Peter Sullivanの各氏に、またジャズトロンボーンをJoe Dallas氏に師事。
Michael Borowski (Guitar) マイケルボロウスキ
Mike Borowski enjoys an active career as a guitarist, composer, arranger, collaborator, and educator. Having the opportunity to playing in many different musical settings, he has developed a wide-ranging vocabulary that can be heard in his playing and compositions. With specialization being a thing of the past, Borowski strives to be out in front every musical pursuit he comes across, with the ultimate goal of always delivering a quality product to listeners.
As an active performer, Mike Borowski is a founding member of Pittsburgh’s premier tango ensemble, Cuidado, as well as Choro no Vinho, Pittsburgh’s only Brazilian choro group. Borowski also plays with Dazzletine, a high-energy glam rock band, and Kinetic, a soul-full afro-pop group specializing in Afro-Cuban music. He has also had the opportunity to record and collaborate with singer/actress Renn Woods. In 2013, he served as music director for the premier of Ms. Woods musical/play, “Sold” at the Pittsburgh Playwright Theatre.
Mike Borowski attended the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in guitar performance. He has studied with many incredible musicians including Joe Negri, Tom Kikta, Sean Jones, Mike Tomaro, Ken Karsh, and Mark Koch.
What is Choro? ショーロって？
Choro is a musical genre and considered Brazil's first national music. It is a complex mix of musical elements borrowing heavily from African rhythms and European harmonies. Within the genre, there many sub-categories of rhythmic styles also taken from European traditions that have been modified into a Brazilian way of playing. The best way to discover this music is to listen! One of the greatest composers in Brazil's history is a man named Pixinguinha, and his music is a wonderful place to start. There has been a great surge of interest in the music recently, and musicians from all over the world have been discovering the beauty of Choro.
ショーロ（ポルトガル語で「泣く」という意味のChorarからきたとされる）とは、ヨーロッパのメロディーやハーモニーとアフリカのリズムが融合したブラジル固有の音楽ジャンルのひとつです。ボサノバやサンバよりも古い歴史があり、ブラジルを中心として世界中の音楽家に愛され、演奏され続けてきました。数々の美しい曲を作曲したショーロの祖とも呼ばれるPixinguinha（ピッシンギーニャ）は、最も重要な作曲家の一人として知られています。