Katsuaki Arakawa

Katsuaki Arakawa is a cellist currently based in Austin and is the cellist of the Soha Quartet. Katsuaki has competed as a soloist in various competitions, recently having been awarded a winner of the Austin Civic Orchestra Texas Rising Stars Competition in 2023; and a finalist in the Young Texas Artists Competition in 2024. As an orchestral musician, Katsuaki currently performs with the Central Texas Philharmonic, is a substitute section cellist in the San Antonio Philharmonic, and serves as co-principal of the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Katsuaki has collaborated with musicians such as Zlatomir Fung, Sandy Yamamoto, Rick Rowley, and Daniel Ching. Katsuaki has previously studied Mark Kosower, followed by Amir Eldan and Anthony Elliot, both at the University of Michigan where Katsuaki received a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance in 2023. In 2026, he received a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Texas at Austin studying under Bion Tsang, and is currently working on a Master of Music in Chamber Music from the same school studying under Joshua Gindele.