Mr. Nakura is a visiting consultant for Percussion Studies and frequent recitalist at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, and he has also given recitals and master classes at the Royal Academy of Music in London, here he has performed as soloist with the Academy's Percussion Ensemble. Since 1992, Mr. Nakura has been the youngest member of Percussion Group '72, Japan's most prestigious percussion ensemble. He was awarded the 1987 NHK Prize for Classical Music and the 1990 Japanese Musician's Union Prize, which presented him as soloist with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra.
Graduate of Tokyo's Musashino College (1988). [Exerpt from Young Concert Artists Bio] (added 1997.11.16)

Takako Nagano started taking piano lessons at the age of five.
She was accepted as a piano major at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
An accidental meeting with Robert Rosen, Professor of Percussion made up her mind to shift into the world of percussion, especially marimba which she can show her forte and can use her pianistic background.
Upon graduation from UW, she decided to perform exclusively on the marimba.
She continued further marimba studies with Professor Doug Walter at the University of Colorado where she received the prestigious Vice Chancellor's Award for her musical excellence. She holds BA degree in Piano and Percussion from the University of Wisconsin and MM degree in Percussion performance (Marimba Emphasis) from the University of Colorado. She currently resides in Kyoto, Japan where she actively gives solo marimba recitals, lessons and masterclasses. (Added Feb. 16, 2002)

Kuniko+Movses | Marimba & Violin Duo
Kuniko and Movses Pogossian (vl.) will perform marimba & violin duo concerts in US & Japan in Nov. 2010.
Back in 2008 at Monday Evening Concerts (MEC) in LA we performed Keiko Harada?s Bone#, a very difficult piece, and Movses played expressively and perfectly. Since then we?ve been talking about doing duo again.
The program includes 3 newly commissioned pieces for violin and marimba (percussions) by Vatche Sharafyan & Artur Avanesov from Armenia and Miyuki Ito from Japan.
Also the performance includes a few pieces from beautiful ?Armenian Song? by Komitas, etc..

Dates & Venues
Sun, Oct 31st, Zipper Music Hall, Los Angeles, CA ? Dilijian Chamber Music Series
Sat, Nov 4th, Munetsugu Hall, Nagoya, Japan - http://www.munetsuguhall.com/
Thu, Nov 11th, BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama, Japan - http://www.bankart1929.com/

Tickets are available through ticket@kuniko-kato.net
General Inquiries: info@kuniko-kato.net
The concerts in Japan are co-presented by Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Japan.
Please see the site for details.
http://www.kuniko-kato.net/concert/concerts-en.html
ticket@kuniko-kato.netinfo@kuniko-kato.net

A graduage of Kunitachi Colledge of Music. Member of the Okada Tokoyuki Percussion Ensemble and the Ensemble Mallet. (Updated Feb. 16, 2002)

Arkadiusz Katny - composer and marimbist's website! Check out his new compositions, concerts and more!

"I am kind of finder... but that kind of finder which knows what he is looking for... and why. I find every day, step by step. I observe the World. I am full of inspirations. I believe in sound as an energy, wave, matter, shape, color... "
- Arkadiusz Kątny (2010)

"Kątny's music is unlike any music I have encountered to date. His invigorating creations illuminate ones sense of sound and augments musical imagination. Arkadiusz's musical trajectory parallels that of a Frost poem; reflecting a sense of darkness, empathy, and warmth, and is what reminds us of what it means to be alive!"
- Patrick Francis Frenking (2010)

"18 year old, Arkadiusz Kątny is an exciting young marimbist, full of fire and warmth. He has a firm sense of style, clearly exhibited in Kopetzki's Kaskada. His rendition of Abe's Wind in the Bamboo Grove was breathtaking in its intensity and clarity."
- Classical Marimba League (2008)

Born in Palo Alto, California, but raised in Rochester, N.Y. Joe Locke is regarded by many to be the vibraphonist of his generation. Although a self-taught improvisor, he benefited from his early studies in classical percussion and composition at the Eastman School of Music with John Beck, Gordon Stout, Ted Moore and Warren Benson. As a jazz musician, Locke was precocious, having played with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie and Mongo Santamaria before he was even out of high school.

Since moving to New York City in 1981, Joe has performed with Grover Washington Jr., Kenny Barron, Dianne Reeves, Eddie Daniels, Jerry Gonzales' Fort Apache Band, Elvis Costello, The Beastie Boys, Eddie Henderson, Hiram Bullock, Ron Carter, The Mingus Big Band and Randy Brecker, among many others.

Joe has toured extensively throughout the world, both as leader and guest soloist. Some highlights include a 16 city tour of Russia, which culminated in a concert with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of world-renowned violist, Yuri Bashmet: a 30 city tour of all major capitals of Europe, performing Charles Mingus' magnum opus, "Epitaph", as a featured soloist under the direction of distinguished conductor, Gunther Schuller; a series of volcanic duet concerts in Italy with pianist Cecil Taylor, where Joe went head-to-head for three nights with the indisputed high priest of the avante-garde.

The critical community continually cites Joe for his artistic work. "There seems little doubt that Locke, with his ability to play cool and funky, heady and relaxed, is set to become the pre-eminent vibraphonist in jazz." (The Times, London)

This year Joe was voted the #1 vibist in DownBeat Magazine's Critic's Poll (TDWR) and Brazil's International Jazz Poll.Locke has recorded 16 cds as a band leader, including the Grammy nominated "Moment to Moment", a tribute to the music of Henry Mancini. As a sideman, he appears on more than 40 recordings.

Joe is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and The New School, both in New York City. Joe Locke endorses Ross Mallet Instruments and Pro-Mark Mallets exclusively. (Added 2003.9.21)

Tomoko KUSAKARI is actively playing all around Japan. Famous for the commissioned works like "Divertiment" by Seiji Yokoyama. Several CDs as well. Miyoshi's Etudes Concertante was premiered by her duo (Fujii/Kikuchi Duo : Kikuchi = Kusakari) (updated 1997.11.18)

An alumni of The North Carolina School of the Arts and the Mannes Conservatory of Music in NYC, PJ Merola maintains an active career and is one of the few solo percussionist/marimbists working today. He received an exclusive award in Solo Percussion Performance from the National Endowment for the Arts (USA) in 1997 and collaborates/performs/composes extensively with many groups and organizations. He is a large advocate of multi-media expression and new music, while maintaining a focus on classical transcriptions and adaptations within the medium.(Added 2002.05.03)

Katarzyna Mycka was born in Leningrad, started playing percussion at the age of 16. Fascinated by the weath of different sounds, she began working intensively on the wide ranging percussion instrumentarium and its often very difficult repertoire. As soon as three years later the young musician had her first success - 1st prize in the Polish Percussion Competition in Opole. In the following year she was awarded a special prize as youngest participant at the Concours International d

Hiroshi Chu Okubo is Percussionist and Composer, also He is the first MIBURI (Virtual MIDI Body Percussion) Player in the US. He Presented over 200 concert at USA, China and Japan.He is Director of HCO Music Factory Group. He has own Percussion Trio "OKOMOCHI" (updated 1997.11.18)