Keiko Abe - Japan
Great Musicians have been linked with their instruments throughout the history of music. We are truly fortunate to be able to hear and experience the artistry of Keiko Abe playing marimba. Audiences hearing her performance for the first time are often astonished by the modern marimba’s wealth of tonal nuances and by the tremendous scope of Abe’s creativity and musicianship. Keiko Abe has the ability to merge with her marimba: the resulting union produces music with incredible depth of feeling. She represents a perfect combination of virtuoso technique and passionate artistry.
Keiko Abe has developed her position as a world-class musician thanks to a rare combination of creative power, acute sensitivity and virtuosic technique. She commands an overwhelming repertoire and appears regularly throughout the world in performances of solo concertos, chamber music, and improvisations. She is also in demand as a guest lecturer and has given master-classes in leading music conservatories in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.
In addition, she has recorded extensively on the Denon label, and has received numerous awards, including induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame Award. Keiko Abe’s compositions have become some of the standards of marimba literature and can be heard in recitals by marimbists all over the world. Many modern composers have also dedicated new works to her; she has inspired and premiered countless new compositions.
By both pioneering new technical skills and expanding the literature, Keiko Abe has transformed what was once considered a primitive “Folk” instrument into a full-fledged concert instrument welcome in any of the most prestigious concert halls. In addition to her work as Professor of Marimba at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Abe maintains a full schedule of composing and touring.
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