The swift guitar stylings of Hiroya Tsukamoto are the result of his discovery of the banjo, and a childhood love of bluegrass comes through in his playing, which includes takes on folk, jazz, and traditional Japanese music. As a teen, Tsukamoto worked tirelessly to perfect his craft, and it paid off in 2000 when he accepted a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. The exceptional composer has gained international accolades, and earlier this month he placed second in the International Finger Style Guitar Championship.