Tokyo-native Arei Sekiguchi took up drums after early studies in classical piano and marimba. His first exposure to international performance came through tours of the U.S. and Europe with Up With People at the age of 18. Later he moved to NYC to further study music. He received a BFA from the New School University under the guidance of jazz Legends such as Bobby Sanabria, Chico Hamilton, Reggie Workman, and Charles Tolliver. He has also studied privately with some of the most sought after drummers in the world: Michael Carvin, Jorge Alabe, Antonio Sanchez, and Takeshi Inomata. He has performed at various festivals and venues all over the United States including Jazz Mobile, River to the River Festival, Harlem Summer Stage, MASS MoCA, New York Anime Festival, Tiny Desk Concert, Whitney Museum, The National Gallery of Art, Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Arei has recorded for labels such as Sony Japan, and Clean Feed(Portugal). His musical theater credits include, Curvy Widow(off Broadway), In the Heights, Man of La Mancha, Newsies, and Annie (regional). Besides performing and touring, he actively teaches privately and in schools. He is currently on the faculty at 92Y School of Music. He has also been a regular accompanist for the Afro-Brazilian Dance Class at Alvin Ailey for the last ten years. Some of the bands he currently performs with are Spanglish Fly, and Os Clavelitos.