About
“Pianist Mamiko Kitaura …
crisp, classical accuracy with a propulsive swing.” – LA Times.
“..danced through deliciously edgy solos…” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
From classical to jazz, pop to funk, Mamiko puts herself into the music with total conviction.
Even though her first encounter with jazz came into her life late compared to some, Mamiko was improvising over
everything from classical music structures to television and film music at a very early age. These broad influences
formed Mamiko’s unconventional versatilities and wide ranging tastes in music. A native of Miyazaki, Japan, she
began studying classical piano at the age of five and by the age of ten she had already performed Mozartʼs “Piano
Concerto K271″ with the Miyazaki Symphony Orchestra. After discovering jazz in a college, she felt an instant
connection and fell in love with the music. Mamiko decided to move to the United States and attend the
Eastman School of Music to further her studies. While studying with Harold Danko at Eastman, Mamiko was selected
as a tomorrow’s rising star to perform Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the summer of 2003 she won full scholarship to attend the Henry Mancini Institute of Jazz and Film music
performance where she met Monica Mancini, daughter of legendary film composer Henry Mancini. In 2004 she was
asked to join the Monica Mancini Studio Orchestra for a national tour of the US, where she became the featured
soloist. She has been touring with Monica ever since and has performed with major orchestras such as Detroit
Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Utah Symphony, and recently the BBC Radio Orchestra in London. Mamiko
also has made several t.v. appearances on Japan’s NHK National Network, A&E’s “Breakfast with the Arts”, and
on BBC Radio’s “Friday Night Is Music Night”.
Her newly formed acoustic trio has been a great vehicle for her work as a composer. Exploring material that is both
lyrical and funky she has found a great team in drummer Aaron McLendon and bassist Malcolm Kirby Jr. “They lock
in so well together and have such a strong connection that it allows me to really be free with the music,” says Mamiko.
She has recorded and performed with incredible range of artists such as Lenny Castro, Vinnie Colaiuta,
Peter Erskine, Dave Koz, David Liebman, Vince Mendoza, Toshi Nagai, Sam Newsome, Gunther Schuller,
Tom Scott, Bob Sheppard, Marcus Printup. Mamiko currently resides in Brooklyn, NY and is performing in various
groups nationally and internationally including her own trio.
