Wataru Niimori, Jazz Pianist, Composer and Teacher
Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University

Wataru Niimori was born in Kyoto, Japan. He works actively as a pianist and composer in the U.S and Japan. At the age of 3, he started to play classical piano with Mrs. Mariko Fujisawa. He won second prize in Maizuru city's piano competition, silver prize in YAMAHA piano competition and third prize in Kinki piano competition. Unfortunately, he stopped playing for some time, because of brutal daily training.

In 2004, he transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia to learn film-direction. Living in Philadelphia, where he experienced one of the finest cities for Jazz, reestablished his love for music. He started to learn Jazz piano with Mike Frank in 2005 and was accepted in the Jazz program at Boyer College of Music, Temple University in 2006.

He currently studies the piano with Tom Lawton, Eri Yamamoto and Bruce Barth and Jazz Composition with Dr. Norman David and Classical Composition with Dr. Richard Brodhead.

In 2009, his first solo-free-improvisational concert at Rock Hall, Temple University, created a sensation. He is currently seen in the Jazz scene of Philadelphia in venues such as Chris Jazz Café, and he leads his own band, the W.M.R trio. He also volunteers as a pianist at Japanese Christian Church of Philadelphia, Overbrook. His appetite for music never stops.