Koto･Shamisen･Voice
Please accept Duo YUMENO 夢乃’s world-premiere recording of Daron Hagen’s CD-length work for koto, cello, voice, and fixed media “The Heike Quinto” for your GRAMMY® nomination consideration in the category of Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance. (September 20, 2024)
The articles and reviews about Duo YUMENO‘s new album, Heike Quinto (composed by Daron Hagen) were published on the following sites. (August 1, 2024) Naxos Japan (Japan)Pizzicato (Germany)The Art Music Lounge (US)Interlude (Hong Kong)
Duo YUMENO’s second album, HEIKE QUINTO (composed by Daron Hagen) will be released worldwide from NAXOS on May 24, 2024.The album will be available on CDs, Naxos online, iTunes, Arkiv Music and other various platforms. Between 2015 and 2022, the duo commissioned to Hagen, the revered composer particularly in the opera world, to create a suite of pieces inspired by The Tale of the Heike, a masterpiece in medieval Japanese literature. The duo has performed the pieces countless times at venues as celebrated as the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to many intimate performance spaces. For more details about this album, please visit NAXOS website. (May 1, 2024)
As the guest koto performer, Yoko Reikano Kimura joined 2X Juno Award Winning pianist/composer, Andy Milne and his trio Unison’s new album, Time Will Tell which was released from Sunnyside Records. (April 26, 2024)
On March 1, Yoko Reikano Kimura’s interview was featured on Yomiuri Shimbun’s Shiga edition. (Yomiuri Shimbun is one of the biggest Japanese news papers published in Tokyo.) Kimura talked about Heike Quinto (composed by Daron Hagen) new album, her concert series, Four Seasons in NY and her passion for koto concerto. (March 10, 2024)
Yoko was featured at “The Tale of Genji: A Koto Concert” presented by Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yoko performed one of her signature repertoires, “Koto Concerto: Genji” composed by brilliant American composer, Daron Hagen with string members of INTERWOVEN and New Asia Chamber Music Society. Along with the concerto, Yoko sang a classical song: “Kumiuta: Akashi” composed by Kitajima-kengyo. (October 16, 2023)Photo courtesy of Musical Instruments Department.
Duo YUMENO will give the World Premiere performance of Aviary: Concerto for Koto, Cello and Orchestra composed by a prominent American composer, Daron Hagen in 2024 – 2026. More information about this work, and joining to the consortium, visit this site. About Duo YUMENO, please visit the duo’s website and here. (July, 2023)
Duo YUMENO is happy to announce the renewal of our website! You can see all contents in both English and Japanese. The photo on the top page was taken by an award-winning photographer, Kasia Idzkowska. Please visit Duo YUMENO’s new website. (May 12, 2023)
Yoko Reikano Kimura gave the Europe premiere performance of Aleksandra Vrebalove’s “Four Ethereal Pieces” and James Nyoraku Schlefer’s “Concertante” with Symphony Orchestra of Academy of the Arts Novi Sad. This special event was presented by Academy of the Arts and Kyo-Shin-An Arts. (April 15, 2023)