First Keiko Abe International Marimba Academy 2007

KEIKO ABE INTERNATIONAL MARIMBA ACADEMY
First edition: March 2-11, 2007- BELGIUM
Guest lecturer & artistic director: Ludwig Albert
Coordinator Chin-Cheng Lin

KEIKO ABE- Japan
It is almost impossible to describe the unique qualities of this incredible artist in such short space.
She belongs to the absolute top tier of modern marimba music, both as a performer and composer,
and has almost single-handedly developed the marimba into a consummate concert instrument.
Keiko Abe has reached her position as a world class musician thanks to a rare combination
of passionate artistry and virtuosic technique. She commands an overwhelming repertoire, and
appears regularly throughout the world in performances of solo concertos, chamber music, and
improvisations at international festivals. As Professor of Music at the Toho Gakuan School of Music,
Tokyo and at Soai College, she is also in demand as a guest lecturer and teacher. She has given
more than 90 master-classes in the leading music conservatories in North America, Central
America, Europe and Asia since 1977. In addition, she has recorded extensively releasing more
than 30 LP and CD recordings since 1962 on the Columbia, Denon, Wergo, Bis, Forte and Xebec
record labels. She has performed the world premiere of over 180 marimba compositions and has
received numerous awards, including induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in
1993. Keiko Abe