An American of Japanese descent, Chihara studied at Cornell University, with Gunther Schuller, Boulanger and Ernst Pepping. He is a professor of music at the University of California at Los Angeles. He conducts the University's collegium musicum and founded and directs the Twice Ensemble. His interest in oriental music is apparent in his music, and he utilizes the altered use of vibrato, limited pitch movement and microtones. He also uses electronically modified sounds. His compositions include choral works, chamber and orchestral works. His work Logs is a group of phrases that may be repeated and combined in different orders with alterations in sound. ~ Lynn Vought, All Music Guide