9/17/2015

KarenTanakaLongBiographyMusicSalesClassical

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Karen Tanaka
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Karen Tanaka
Born: 1961
Nationality: Japanese
Publisher: Chester Music
Photo Jeff Gerbec

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Karen Tanaka is an exceptionally versatile composer and pianist. She has

composed extensively for both instrumental and electronic media. Her music is
delicate and emotive, beautifully crafted, showing a refined ear for both detail and
largeorganicshapes,TheNewGroveDictionaryofMusicandMusicians.
Her works have been performed by distinguished orchestras and ensembles
worldwide including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Netherlands Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra,
OrchestrePhilharmoniquedeRadioFrance,KronosQuartet,BrodskyQuartet,BIT20
Ensemble, among many others. Various choreographers and dance companies,
includingWayneMcGregorandNederlandsDansTheater,haveoftenfeaturedher
music.

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Inrecentyears,shehasreceivednumerouscommissionsfrom,mostnotably,Radio
France,theCanadaCouncilfortheArtsforEveEgoyan,theArtsCouncilofEngland
forBrodskyQuartet,theBBCSymphonyOrchestraconductedbyKazushiOno,the
MichaelVynerTrustfortheNHKSymphonyOrchestraconductedbyEsaPekkaSalonen,JaneDutcherforJoanJeanrenaud
and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano, and the National Endowment for the Arts for the
RochesterPhilharmonicOrchestraconductedbyPeterBay.
Herloveofnatureandconcernfortheenvironmenthasinfluencedmanyofherworks,includingFrozenHorizon,Waterand
Stone,InvisibleCurve,Dreamscape,TalesofTrees,CrystallineandQuestionsofNature.
BorninTokyo,shestartedformalpianoandcompositionlessonsasachild.AfterstudyingcompositionwithAkiraMiyoshiat
TohoGakuenSchoolofMusicinTokyo,shemovedtoParisin1986withtheaidofaFrenchGovernmentScholarshiptostudy
withTristanMurailandworkatIRCAM.In1987shewasawardedtheGaudeamusPrizeattheInternationalMusicWeekin
AmsterdamforherpianoconcertoAnamorphose.ShestudiedwithLucianoBerioinFlorencein199091withfundsfromthe
Nadia Boulanger Foundation and a Japanese Government Scholarship. In 1996, she received the Margaret Lee Crofts
FellowshipattheTanglewoodMusicCenter.In1998shewasappointedasCoArtisticDirectoroftheYatsugatakeKogen
MusicFestival,previouslydirectedbyToruTakemitsu.Hermusichasbeenselectedforperformanceforeighttimesatthe
ISCMWorldMusicDaysFestivals.
In 2012, she was selected as a fellow of the Sundance Institutes Composers Lab for feature film and mentored by
Hollywoodsleadingcomposers.
HermusicispublishedbyChesterMusicinLondon(MusicSales),SchottMusicinNewYork(PSNY),andEditionsBIMin
Switzerland.KarenTanakalivesinLosAngelesandteachescompositionatCaliforniaInstituteoftheArts.

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