Today's Edition
TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)
The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi hosts internationally acclaimed percussionist Kuniko Kato on Monday, April 14, as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Catch the Japanese virtuoso live in NYUAD's Blue Hall on Saadiyat Island at 7.30 pm, working her magic on the xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, toms, bass, snare, and bongo drums.
The celebrated prodigy's career has taken her all around the world, from Japan to the Netherlands, the US - where she resides - and beyond.
She is equally proficient in traditional and contemporary works, particularly admired for her interpretations of Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and Unsuk Chin.
After the 2011 initial release of "Kuniko Plays Reich on Linn", the concert presented at Kyoto Art Center in 2012 received the prestigious 12th Keizo Saji Prize from the Suntory Foundation for the Arts.
In 2013, her second album for Linn was released, featuring the percussion arrangements of four of the great Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's signature works. The album entitled "Cantus" was in the UK's Top 10 Specialist Classical Chart. It also received the Best Recording Award at Japan's Music Pen Club's twenty-sixth Music Awards.
In 2015 Kuniko released the percussion works "Pléïades and Rebonds" by the great 20th-century composer Iannis Xenakis. The album was nominated twice in the Best Contemporary Music and Best Recording categories at the Japan Record Academy Awards.
The 2017 release "Bach: Solo Works for Marimba" saw Kuniko turn to the cello suites and violin sonatas of JS Bach. This album debuted at number 2 on Japan's Classical Billboard Chart, received the Grand Prize at the 10th Japan's CD Shop Awards 2018 and was Linn's best-selling album of the year.
In 2019 Kuniko won an Excellence Award for her live performance of Steve Reich's "Drumming" at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, in November 2018.
The prestigious award was given by the 73rd National Arts Festival.
Her hometown, the City of Toyohashi, appointed her as city's special ambassador. Kuniko is the only Japanese artist signed to Linn Records. She is endorsed globally by Pearl and Adams.
