ABOUT
UTARI’s passion for Japanese percussion music has led them to tour internationally for the past fifteen years. Following the path of their mother Mutsuko Fujii, noted marimbist of Japan, they have been introducing Japanese percussion works at major venues in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, and Taiwan. Recent appearances include a New York recital at Lincoln Center, a concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto, and showcase performances at the international PASIC percussion convention.
Utari’s mission is to introduce audiences to master works which are not known outside of Japan, many of which are written for and dedicated to Mutsuko Fujii by luminary composers Maki Ishii, Akira Miyoshi, Isao Matsushita and Akira Nishimura. In addition to music from Japan’s “golden age” of modern music, Utari actively works with and performs music by young composers who are defining the sound of the current generation.
Haruka Fujii
Multi-percussionist
Haruka Fujii is recognized as one of the most prominent percussionists of her generation. Acclaimed for her interpretations of contemporary music, she has premiered works by leading living composers. She is Associate Artistic Director of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma and now led by Rhiannon Giddens. Fujii is also Creative Director of Nippon Kobo, a Bay Area event series highlighting contemporary Japanese music and culture. She performs with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Line C3 Percussion Group. She is a faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. More
Rika Fujii is an active percussionist based in Tokyo, Japan. She performs frequently in orchestral and chamber music settings as well as in traditional Japanese taiko drumming concerts with the first female taiko group Hono-O-daiko. She has performed internationally, including appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, New Zealand International Arts Festival, and the Japanese Consulate in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Fujii is a faculty member of the Toho Gakuen School of Music.