Recital: Michiko Shimanuki – piano

The Programme

Michiko Shimanuki – piano

Sonata in C, Hob. XVI/50
i. Allegro
ii. Adagio
iii. Allegro molto

Menuet sur le nom de Haydn

Ballade No 3, Op 47

December Rose

Three Pieces for Michiko (World premiere)
Children meeting in Queen’s Park
The Storm
Autumnal Atmospheres

The Artist

Michiko Shimanuki studied with the late Dame Fanny Waterman, the late Kendall Taylor CBE, Aquiles Delle-Vigne and other prominent pianists in Europe and Japan. She spent her twenties giving concerts and then went on to study composition.

She was awarded a full scholarship to study with Betsy Jolas at the masterclass at the Académie musicale de Villecroze in 2003 and completed her Ph.D. in Composition at King’s College London in 2011. Since 2004, Michiko’s music has been performed by the London New Wind Ensemble, Ian Mitchell, Ellie Blackshaw, David Sutton Anderson and other professional soloists and ensembles, as well as Michiko herself, in London, Hertfordshire, Brighton and at St George’s Bristol. Every year since 2009 the London New Wind Ensemble have premiered Michiko’s works, which range from pieces for solo instrument (oboe, bass clarinet, violin and piano), duo, woodwind trios to woodwind and string ensembles. Michiko has had her music broadcast on radio stations specialising in women composers and contemporary music in the UK, USA and the Netherlands since 2014. One of her compositions was released by Ablaze Records USA in January 2015.

Michiko has resumed her performing activity since 2011 and has given concerts in London, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire and Brighton. In 2018 Michiko gave a recital of contemporary music at the Borough New Music in London including a premiere of a piece specially composed for her by Barry Mills and works by composers such as Diana Burrell, Edwin Roxburgh and Poul Ruders. In 2019 she celebrated the 70th Birthdays of Barry Mills and John Hawkins, performing their music in London, Hertfordshire and Brighton.

During the pandemic, Michiko’s A Beautiful Creature for solo bass clarinet was premiered and live streamed on YouTube in 2020, and in 2021 a piano solo piece called December Rose was premiered in London. In October 2021 Michiko recorded Winter Images composed for her by Barry Mills with Claudio Records. Michiko had recorded her piano pieces, Dead Still, Another Life and Climbing Roses with Chiaro Audio just before the first lockdown in February 2020 and the recordings were broadcast on Radio Monalisa in the Netherlands in December 2021.