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Marimba artist presents encore performance

Oct. 18, 2007

KALAMAZOO--Marimba player Naoko Takada will return to Western Michigan University for an encore Young Concert Artist performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

All seating is general admission. Tickets are $10 and $5 for students and senior citizens. They may be purchased at the door or in advance through the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300 or toll free at (800) 228-9858.

Takada is renowned for her wide-ranging repertoire, which includes everything from Bach to Piazzolla. An arranger as well as a performer, Takada's transcriptions have been published by Studio 4 Music as part of the Naoko Takada Series, which also includes works written for her by composers Yasutaki Inamori, Paul Fowler, John Anthony Lennon and Hayato Hirose. Takada shows her commitment to educational outreach by participating in the New York Adventure Concerts.

Born in Tokyo, Takada began playing the marimba at age 8, and first appeared as a soloist with the Tokyo Symphony and Tokyo Chamber Orchestra when she was 11. After studying psychology at Waseda University in Tokyo, she decided to focus on her marimba studies. Takada entered California State University at Northridge, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree. She then earned a master's degree from Ithaca College. She also has studied at Boston Conservatory.

Sponsored by the Donald P. Bullock Music Performance Institute in collaboration with the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Young Concert Artist Series has introduced artists with fresh, exciting programs for the past two decades.

Media contact: Kevin West, (269) 387-4678, kevin.west@wmich.edu

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