Randolph Hokanson was a distinguished pianist, composer, writer, lecturer, and professor emeritus at the University of Washington. He gained recognition early in his career, performing recitals in Seattle, Washington, and Victoria, Canada, at the young age of 15. Following this, he studied in London under pianist Howard Samuel, who was notable for being one of the first pianists in the twentieth century to focus exclusively on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. In his autobiography, "With Head to the Music Bent: A Musician's Story," Hokanson shared his experiences with prominent figures, including Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, known for works such as "Candida" (1894), "Pygmalion" (1912), and "Saint Joan" (1923), as well as English pianist Dame Myra Hess, noted for her interpretations of composers like Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Mozart. He also reflected on his interactions with American novelist Edith Wharton, famous for "The House of Mirth" (1905) and "The Age of Innocence," alongside his service during World War II, where he worked as an interpreter for the Signal Battalion of the New York Army National Guard in Yonkers, New York.

After the war, Hokanson made his New York debut recital in 1947, subsequently touring as a recitalist and orchestral soloist under esteemed conductors such as Sir Thomas Beecham, Pierre Monteux, Arthur Fiedler, Milton Katims, and Stanley Chapple. Each conductor significantly contributed to the musical landscape, with Beecham leading the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, Monteux premiering landmark works like Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," Fiedler's leadership of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Chapple's extensive conducting career, which included directing the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood and leading the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his collaborations, Hokanson enjoyed a soloist career with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, CBC Chamber Orchestra, and the Bach Festivals in Carmel, California, and Mount Angel, Oregon. He joined the University of Washington music faculty in 1949, where he continued to perform through recitals until 1984, a period documented in "The Pianism of Randolph Hokanson: The University Years (1949-1984)." Renowned for his ability to elucidate the workings of music and the creative processes of composers, he directed a series of post-retirement classes titled "The Piano in Concert" in 1987, which traced the lineage of the piano within the Western repertoire. In 1989, he held lectures focused on the music of Beethoven, which were recorded in "At Home with Beethoven."

In 2001, he married composer Dorothy Cadzow Hokanson, recognized for her three-act opera "Undine," which explores the journey of its titular character in search of marriage. Continuing his artistic endeavors, Hokanson released "Character Pieces of the Nineteenth Century" in 2003 and was working on a song cycle based on the poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Emily Dickinson at the time of his passing later that same year.