Mission
EMPATH’s mission is to educate and communicate with music and language arts through compassion.
Miwa Gofuku is an artist, an entrepreneur and a ray of sunshine to those she encounters: a woman who lives beauty in all its forms and teaches us to embrace it.
Born and raised under the Californian sun, Miwa began playing the piano at the age of four, debuting as a soloist with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra at nine. She studied at the most prestigious institutions including Indiana University, Aspen Music Festival and Salzburg Mozarteum with professors Leonard Hokanson, John Perry, Alexandre Slobodyanik and Jacob Lateiner to name a few. Over time, her innate talent has transformed her passion for music into a universal language that she shares with anyone who meets her.
With Japanese and Californian roots, Miwa now lives in Italy where she naturally blends cultures and traditions. This multicultural journey allows her to create authentic and profound connections, to go beyond differences and bring people together through music, language arts and empathy.
Art, good food, wine and sincere company are, for her, essences to be enjoyed and transmitted. Every lesson, every meeting is, for Miwa, an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of life.
Alongside the music and projects she creates and delves herself into, she strives to bring out the best in her students as well as collaborators and guides them not only in communication, but teaches a way of being, an ability to see the world with new eyes.
Entrepreneur
The entrepreneurial spirit of Miwa is demonstrated with the founding of EMPATH. EMPATH is a manifestation of personal and professional experiences from her own childhood to the gift of motherhood: From a career as a performing pianist to an arts manager; as a representative to globetrotting artists to a role as an international business development manager in sports. EMPATH enables Miwa to continue to wear multiple hats in order to provide support to musicians and businesses who may benefit from her expertise as a consultant.
Musician
Music is the language that best communicates human emotions. As a pianist, Miwa finds the greatest pleasure in creating magical moments with other musicians. She has crossed many boundaries both musically and geographically. In times of solitude and distress, she knows all-too-well the importance of being able to go to one’s instrument to provide relief for the mind and soul. EMPATH’s approach to music is to serve this purpose: to seek and create opportunities with music for one’s joy and that of one’s audience. In addition to Miwa’s pianistic talents for concerts and recitals, EMPATH offers summer music camps and special retreats for musical joy and individual growth.
Pedagogue
One of life’s greatest gifts is the ability to communicate. As a pedagogue, Miwa teaches young and older students the art of communication through the language of music in addition to developing basic English skills in order to help them better prepare for today’s global environment. EMPATH offers private piano lessons, group music lessons as well as customized private lessons in English.
