Tomoko Kanamaru, DMA

Assistant Professor of Music (Piano)

Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies

 

DMA, Piano Performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Advanced Certificate, Piano Performance, The Juilliard School
M.M., Music, Piano Performance, Musashino Academia Musicae, Tokyo
B.M., Music, Piano Performance, Musashino Academia Musicae, Tokyo

 

Assistant Professor of Music and Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, Ms. Kanamaru  teaches:

• MUS 113:  Keyboard Skills III
• MUS 302:  Advanced Private Piano
• MUS 330:  Keyboard Proficiency Examination
• MUS 402:  Advanced Private Piano
• MUS 482:  Piano Pedagogy
• MUS 486:  Art of Accompanying

“[for concert with violinist Gareth Johnson]…Kanamaru played exquisitely, whether brimming with rhythmic drive or melting with lyricism.”

—Ken Keaton, Palm Beach Daily News

With a sophisticated musical sensibility and intellectual curiosity alongside her exquisite technique, Japanese pianist Tomoko Kanamaru has established herself as an artist of diverse gifts and accomplishments.

As a versatile recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist, Ms. Kanamaru has garnered the respect of musicians and the acclaim of critics both within the United States and in Asia. She has collaborated with a wide range of world-renowned artists, from Barry Tuckwell to Branford Marsalis, and most recently praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a “charismatic pianist,” Ms. Kanamaru continues to capture audiences’ attention with her stunning virtuosity and unequaled sense of lyricism.

Tomoko Kanamaru made her first public performance with a professional orchestra at the age of nine in Japan. She has since then been seen in numerous concert venues in the world, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York; Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia; Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo; and Stefaniensaal in Graz, Austria. She made her concerto debut in the United States with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra as part of the Orchestra’s classical series in December 2000. During the summer of the same year, Ms. Kanamaru was featured soloist in one of the National Repertory Orchestra’s concerts at the Breckenridge Music Festival in Colorado. Ms. Kanamaru most recently appeared with the Toledo (OH) Symphony, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor.

Ms. Kanamaru’s performances have also been heard on radio broadcasts, television, and commercials in Japan and the United States. She has recorded for the Nippon Columbia label, and her recent recording with the horn duo MirrorImage has been released under the MSR Classics label. Her other performances during the recent season were presented by the Kravis Performing Arts Center in Florida, Karl Böhm Foundation in Germany, and Bechstein Piano Centre in New York for the Grand Opening to name a few. With an enthusiasm for new music, Ms. Kanamaru has performed works by acclaimed contemporary composers: she premiered Eric Ewazen’s Trio, Gold Cost Harmony in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. With French horn player Randy Gardner and oboist Mark Ostoich, Ms. Kanamaru gave a premier performance of a Trio by Douglas Lowry in Denver, Colorado during the summer in 2008. Her forthcoming performances include Stravinsky’s Petrushka with the Binghamton Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro José-Luis Novo.

Tomoko Kanamaru previously held teaching positions at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, College of Mount St. Joseph. She is one of the most sought-after lecturers in reputable festivals, universities, and piano teachers’ organizations across the country. Through the invitation of the Yamaha Corporation of America, she has given master classes in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Ms. Kanamaru has written articles for several publications, in addition to co-editing more than 30 volumes of educational piano music with the Yamaha Music Foundation.

Ms. Kanamaru holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in music from Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, an Advanced Certificate from The Juilliard School, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati. Her principal teachers include Tetsuro Ishikawa, Jeffrey Kahane, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, and Benjamin Kaplan.

Email:  kanamaru@tcnj.edu