Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!
2017 was an important year of milestones, and new beginnings for me.
With the love, help, and support of many people, I finished my Doctoral Thesis “To See Music in your Mind’s Eye: The Genesis of Memorization as a Piano Performance Practice” and graduated Rice University with my Doctorate in Musical Arts.
I started working as a consultant to Houston Methodist Hospital’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine, as a part of the research to quantify the neurological benefit of music with the use of fMRI, and EEG.
Of course, 2017 was also filled with rewarding performance experiences. It was my third year with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra: an award winning ensemble with inspiring musicians and truly innovative programming and music presentation. It was also a pleasure to return to coach and perform at ArtsAhimsa Music Festival in Lenox, MA. And for my seventeenth annual summer recital tour in Japan, I presented a program titled “Music of the Spheres vs. Battles of Heroes” where I compared and contrasted Bach’s Goldberg Variations to works by “Heroes”: Beethoven, Chopin (“Heroic” Polonaise), and Liszt (Mephisto Waltz).
I became a 2017-2018 delegate to US-Japan Leadership Program, and attended a week-long conference in Japan with an amazing group of leaders from diverse fields and backgrounds. It was one of the most inspiring, eye-opening (and fun!!) weeks of my life so far. (usjlp.org)
With my duo partner clarinetist Maiko Sasaki, I co-founded MATIMA. We released our first album “100 Years: Early Beethoven and Late Brahms” comparing Beethoven’s first piano sonata, Op. 2-1 (1795), to Brahms’ Sonatas for Piano and Clarinet, Op. 120 (1894). https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/matima
In the fall/winter, I started writing. I finished two short stories, and am working on a book about my fifteen-year journey of understanding, and conquering stage fright. I am also working on sharing my music and musical thoughts to a wider audience through content marketing. The two are interconnected. I feel that my life in music has been a privilege. Because of it, I have been able to cultivate some insights that I hope may offer an alternative way of being and thinking in this world, today.
Please consider helping me by visiting my website, YouTube channel, Facebook fan page. Please comment with your feedback, and questions!
https://musicalmakiko.com/en
https://www.facebook.com/musicalmakiko/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSSiNPYMS8CRThdhVztL-8w