Music is about forging connections and empowering individuals to find their voice. A composer and musician’s role in society is to unite communities and individuals through music that is both relatable and thought-provoking.
To achieve this, I value communication, collaboration, and engaging everyone in the creative process through stories, questions, listening, and learning. It is a natural human desire to be heard and feel connected. When starting a project, I bring enthusiasm and encourage others to bring theirs so we can create something we could not have done alone.
Music has the power to give voice to all.
Darin Au is an active composer, performing musician, educator, and clinician with over 30 years of experience in live performances as well as video and audio recordings. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of North Texas. His compositions are published by the Theodore Presser Company and Productions d’Oz in Canada. With guitar as his primary instrument, he is equally comfortable in classical as well as modern popular styles.
In recent years, he has created new musical works with students at Punahou School, with the Alaska Native community in Anchorage, Alaska, and on the national level with the All-National Honor Guitar Ensemble and Virtual Guitar Orchestra.
He has been a guest conductor and clinician for Nevada Music Educators Association, Virginia Music Educators Association, Hawaii Music Educators Assocation, NAMM, NAfME, and Hawaii State Dept of Education. Early in his career he worked with Honolulu Theatre for Youth as a composer and sound designer.
Darin teaches music full-time at Punahou School where he once served as Academy Music Department Head. He now enjoys teaching students how to find their own voice through creative music making. His students’ work can be found on YouTube, Spotify, and other social media.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Artists in the Schools.
