Biography

Tomiko Tsai (formerly Tomiko Hamai) is a flute teacher and performer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tomiko received her Master's degree in Flute Performance from USC, where she studied with Gary Woodward, principal flutist of the Los Angeles Opera. Tomiko received her Bachelor degrees in Music and Chemistry from the University of Puget Sound, where she studied with Karla Flygare, principal flutist of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and Auburn Symphony.

Tomiko is currently a member of the Divisa Ensemble - a chamber music group of winds and strings. The Divisa Ensemble performs recitals in the Bay Area as well as coaches chamber music as the Artist-In-Residence of the El Camino Youth Symphony (ECYS). Tomiko is a faculty member at the Northern California Flute Camp, which attracts some of the best young flutists from around the country and abroad. Tomiko is also a member of the Fortnightly Music Club and a former member of the Stanford Flute Ensemble.

Teaching music and flute-playing to the next generation is one of Tomiko’s passions. She maintains a large private flute studio of young students. Tomiko started her Palo Alto teaching studio in 2004, and since then many of her students have since become talented flutists who participate in a variety of prominent youth ensembles throughout the bay area and continue music in college. Tomiko has given flute masterclasses at CSU East Bay and the Community School of Music and Arts. Tomiko previously worked in the schools, teaching flute to 5th graders in the Palo Alto Unified School District, 5th grade band in the Mountain View Whisman School District, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade band at Trinity School in Menlo Park, 5th grade band at Bullis School in Los Altos, band, music theory, and music history at Summit High School in Redwood City, and was Music Director at Kehillah High School in Palo Alto. Tomiko is currently a Director on the Board of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC), Palo Alto Branch.

Tomiko grew up in Palo Alto, California, attending Juana Briones Elementary School, J.L.S. Middle School, and Henry M. Gunn High School. Tomiko began playing the flute at a relatively late age (13 years old) after first playing the clarinet. Her first flute teachers were Joy Apple and Karen Van Dyke.

Tomiko is the founder of the Flute Nerds of the World, Unite! discussion group on Facebook, which has over 1000 members.

Tomiko's solo recital performances at the Mostly Bach Festival and Music From Japan: Music by Toru Takemitsu concerts were highlighted in the Palo Alto Weekly and Hokubei Mainichi newpapers. Tomiko has also been a featured orchestral soloist several times, performing J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Griffes' Poem for flute and orchestra, and Hansen's Serenade for flute and string orchestra