Meet Nick Ogawa | Composer/Cellist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Ogawa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always enjoyed doing things with my hands, making things, and just generally experimenting with stuff. I grew up in a really rural area in Vermont and spent most of my time playing outside or messing around with projects in the barn. I loved the American Boy’s Handy Book by Daniel Beard when I was a kid and tried to make a lot of the different weapons and rafts and snow warfare projects that the book detailed. I grew up making origami, and by extension have always felt that cardboard is one of the best creative materials. I took lessons from the cello teacher down the road and started writing my own music in High school. I guess the reason I pursued writing music as a career was because it just felt like a natural progression of the kind of tinkering and making of things that has always been a big part of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a cellist and composer and write and record both instrumental music and songs with lyrics. I’ve put out 7 albums using my middle name Takénobu, the last two were recorded with my beautiful and talented wife, violinist Kathryn Koch. I’ve also composed and recorded 2 independent feature film scores, 2 feature length documentary scores, theme music for a television miniseries, and have licensed my music to podcasts and various Netflix and Vice tv series.

I won a songwriting contest when I lived in new york that gave me the funds to put out my first cd in 2007. Nothing happened with it, but luckily at my mom’s suggestion I submitted it to Pandora for inclusion in their catalog. 4 years later the algorithms aligned and I was paying my rent with iTunes downloads. I quit my office job then and haven’t looked back. The hard part was those 4 years where nothing seemed to be happening. I felt a bit spiritually defeated, but I didn’t give up creatively. I guess at the root of that was my determination and self belief.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For a chill day I’d probably take them to Ria’s for late breakfast, a leisurely walk on the beltline, Fox bros for some BBQ, and then maybe find some pinball at Manuel’s or My Parent’s Basement. If we wanted to tie one on one night I’d take them to Bookhouse for dinner, or drinks and wings at the Local followed by the Clermont Lounge. If we were recovering the next day I’d take them for ramen at Ton Ton and then to a movie at the Plaza to enjoy some cinema. If we were in a more sophisticated mood maybe a visit to the Fernbank, and then some oysters and cocktails at Kimball House or maybe dinner at Del Bar.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents have always been very encouraging and supportive and I feel very lucky to have them. My mom would always tell me to start a project when I was bored or instead of watching tv. My dad expected me to practice cello 45 minutes a day when I was growing up. Throughout my life they provided the framework for exploring my interests while also instilling a sense of discipline.

Website: www.takenobumusic.com

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Image Credits
Steve West