Junko Sakimura — Profile

Junko Sakimura (崎村潤子) — Marimba & Cimbalom

Junko Sakimura graduated from the percussion department of Kunitachi College of Music. She studied marimba with Akiko Suzuki (鈴木明子), Tomoko Kusakari (草刈とも子), Shinichi Ueno (上野信一), and Tomoyuki Okada (岡田知之), and cimbalom with Yasuko Kano (加納靖子). Since her recital in 1990, she has maintained an active performing career. Her work includes Japanese premieres of Stravinsky’s Renard (Japanese-language version), Kurtág’s Grabstein für Stephan and Concertante, and Costello’s IL SONGO. In 2017, she appeared on BS TV Tokyo’s Ongaku Kōsaten. Internationally, she represented Japan at the Third World Cimbalom Congress in Slovakia in 1995, appeared on Slovak television, and was featured in Pravda and other publications. She has also performed to favourable responses in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, China, and elsewhere.

Her orchestral appearances include Dutilleux’s Mystère de l’instant with the Saito Kinen Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, broadcast nationwide by NHK. She has also performed with major orchestras including the New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra.

She is an artist under contract with KOROGI’s neoria, described in the original profile as Japan’s largest marimba manufacturer.

Selected performances

• Cimbalom
  • 2020: Recital at Kyoto History Museum Annexe Hall (京都歴史博物館別館ホール).
  • 2017: Guest appearance on BS TV Tokyo’s Ongaku Kōsaten, introducing the cimbalom.
  • Rengō Aichi Classical Concert — with the Nagoya Philharmonic, conducted by Takeshi Oi: Kodály’s Háry János Suite and Debussy’s La plus que lente.
  • 2009: Miyazaki International Music Festival — Experimental Concert, Renard for four singers and ensemble, with Charles Dutoit conducting the festival chamber orchestra and Hudson Shad.
  • Nagoya Philharmonic — Dutilleux’s L’arbre des songes, Michael Christie conducting, with violinist Yuzuko Horigome.
  • Sendai Philharmonic’s 225th subscription concert — Dutilleux’s L’arbre des songes, Pascal Verrot conducting, with violinist Olivier Charlier.
  • 2008–2009: Background music for Dai-ichi Life television advertisements about its social contribution activities.
  • 2008: Participation in an album by singer-songwriter Shione Yukawa.
  • 2007: Saito Kinen Orchestra concert — Henri Dutilleux’s Mystère de l’instant, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.
  • New Japan Philharmonic’s 309th subscription concert — Kurtág’s Grabstein für Stephan (Japanese premiere), conducted by Christian Arming.
  • Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra’s 605th subscription concert — Kodály’s Háry János Suite and other works, conducted by Steven Sloane.
  • Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra’s 430th subscription concert — Stravinsky’s Renard, conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
  • Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra’s 428th subscription concert — Kurtág’s Concertante (Japanese premiere), conducted by Gerd Albrecht.
  • 2 October 2003: Kurtág’s …quasi una fantasia…, Op. 27, at the New Japan Philharmonic’s 359th subscription concert, conducted by Christian Arming.
  • 8 February 2002: Kodály’s Háry János at the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra’s 544th subscription concert, conducted by Lawrence Foster.
  • 7 December 2001: Cimbalom part in Dutilleux’s L’arbre des songes with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Pascal Verrot.
  • De Stijl at Tokyo Opera City’s ‘Motion and Stillness — Two Faces of Andriessen’, with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryusuke Numajiri. The original profile includes the parenthetical title ‘時間’.
  • 1999: Kodály’s Háry János with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kotaro Sato; broadcast nationwide on NHK Educational Television.
  • 1996: Kodály’s Háry János with the Tochigi Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Masahiro Izaki.
  • 1995: Represented Japan at the Third World Cimbalom Congress in Bratislava, Slovakia; appeared on Slovak television and was featured in Pravda and other publications.
  • Suntory Summer Special
    • Music of the 20th Century (1991), Suntory Hall.
  • Cimbalom Joint Recital (1990), Ongaku no Tomo Hall.
• Marimba
  • 27 December 1997: Marimba Alive! 3 recital, Kunitachi Arts Small Hall (国立芸術小ホール). The original profile lists an available album.
  • 5 July 1997: Marimba Alive! 2 recital, Kunitachi Arts Small Hall (国立芸術小ホール). The original profile lists an available album.
  • 1994: Cross Culture ’94, Eolian Hall, London, Canada.
  • 1994: Marimba Alive! recital, von Kuster Hall, London, Canada. The original profile lists an available album.
  • 1993: Radio Western International FM recital, Canada.
  • 1990: Marimba trio appearance with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Orchard Hall.
  • 1989: NHK FM recital.
• Piano
  • Suntory Summer Special
    • Music of the 20th Century (1991), Suntory Hall.

Educational activities

• Marimba performer on NHK Educational Television programmes including One-Two-Don.
• Instructor at Yuri Eurhythmics Class.
• Assignment tutor for NHK Gakuen’s Children’s Eurhythmics course.
• Instructor at the London Japanese Heritage School, Canada.