Contributor

Ayano Hodouchi

Journalist, classical music critic and food writer

Ayano Hodouchi is a journalist, classical music critic and food writer based in New York. Originally from Japan, she moved to Russia 12 years ago to study at the Moscow State Conservatoire. Unable to find work as a classically trained pianist, she began working in a Soviet-era truck factory, which quickly convinced her that she has no interest in cold-pressed steel, even with zinc coating. She gradually shifted to journalism, first as a business reporter and then as a restaurant critic and arts writer. She had a regular column, "Intermezzo," in the Moscow News, sometimes poking fun at conductors and playing on other musicians’ nerves.

A recent graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (M.A. in Arts and Culture), she has contributed to various publications around the world, including The Associated Press, Russia Beyond the Headlines, Russia Oggi, and Element.