Karen Tanaka (born April 7, 1961) is a Japanese composer.

Biography

Karen Tanaka was born in Tokyo where she started piano and composition lessons as a child. After studying composition with

Akira Miyoshi Akira Miyoshi (三善　晃; January 10, 1933 – 4 October 2013) was a Japanese composer. Biography Miyoshi was born in Suginami, Tokyo. He was a child prodigy on the piano, studying with Kozaburo Hirai and Tomojiro Ikenouchi. He studied F ...

and piano with Nobuko Amada at

Toho Gakuen School of Music is a private music school in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. History Toho Gakuen was founded in 1948 in Ichigaya (Tokyo) as the Music School for Children, and two years later moved to Sengawa (current address at Wakabacyo, Chofushi, Tokyo) and opened th ...

in Tokyo, she moved to Paris in 1986 with the aid of a French Government Scholarship to study with

Tristan Murail Tristan Murail (born 11 March 1947) is a French composer associated with the "spectral" technique of composition. Among his compositions is the large orchestral work ''Gondwana''. Early life and studies Murail was born in Le Havre, France. His fa ...

and work at

IRCAM IRCAM (French: ''Ircam, '', English: Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) is a French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, especially in the fields of avant garde and electro-acoustical art music. It is ...

as an intern. In 1987, she was awarded the

Gaudeamus International Composers Award The Gaudeamus International Composers Award is made by the Gaudeamus Foundation. The prize is awarded yearly, to a young composer at Dutch music concert, ''Gaudeamus Muziekweek''. The Gaudeamus Foundation had held an annual music week of Dutch c ...

at the International Music Week in Amsterdam. She studied with

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

in Florence in 1990–91 with funds from the

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

Foundation and a Japanese Government Scholarship. In 1996, she received the Margaret Lee Crofts Fellowship at the

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

. In 1998, she was appointed as Co-Artistic Director of the Yatsugatake Kogen Music Festival, previously directed by

Toru Takemitsu TORU or Toru may refer to: * TORU, spacecraft system * Toru (given name), Japanese male given name * Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan *Tõru Tõru is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western ...

. In 2005, she was awarded the Bekku Prize. In 2012, Tanaka was selected as a fellow of the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...

’s Composers Lab for Feature Film where she was mentored by Hollywood's leading composers. In 2016, she served as an orchestrator for the BBC's TV series, ''

Planet Earth II ''Planet Earth II'' is a 2016 British nature documentary series produced by the BBC as a sequel to ''Planet Earth'', which was broadcast in 2006. The series is presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough with the main theme music composed ...

''. She has scored numerous short films, animations, and documentaries. ''Sister'', one of the animated films she scored, was selected for prestigious film festivals including Sundance, Annecy, Ottawa, and nominated for the

92nd Academy Awards The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 p ...

for Best Animated Short Film in January 2020. Her works have been performed by distinguished ensembles and orchestras worldwide, including the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

, Los Angeles Philharmonic,

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra,

Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra (NRSO) was a Dutch radio orchestra. It was founded in 1985 after a merger of the Promenade Orchestra and the Radio Orchestra (Omroep Orkest). The orchestra participated in various operatic productions and ...

, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo,

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra, affiliated with Radio France. The orchestra performs principally at the auditorium of the Maison de la Radio in Paris, along with several concerts at the Philharmonie de Pa ...

, Brodsky Quartet, BIT20 Ensemble,

Gothic Voices Gothic Voices is a United Kingdom-based vocal ensemble specialising in repertoire from the 11th to the 15th century but also performing contemporary music, particularly pieces with medieval associations. The group was originally formed in 1980 ...

Anúna Anúna (stylized in all caps) is a vocal ensemble formed in Ireland in 1987 by Irish composer Michael McGlynn under the name An Uaithne. Taking the current name in 1991,Allmusic Biography/ref> the group has recorded 18 albums and achieved a ...

, among many others. Various dance companies, including the

Nederlands Dans Theater Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT; literal translation Netherlands Dance Theatre) is a Dutch contemporary dance company. NDT is headquartered at the ''Amare'' building in The Hague. NDT also performs at other venues in the Netherlands, including Amste ...

, have also featured her music. Tanaka has received numerous commissions from, most notably, the Royal Academy of Music, the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

, the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

for

Eve Egoyan Eve Egoyan (born 1964) is an Armenian-Canadian pianist and artist based in Toronto. Early life and education Egoyan was born in Victoria, British Columbia.Hampson, SaraThe Keys to Living''The Globe and Mail''. 2006-04-08. Accessed: 2022-02-08 ...

, the

Arts Council of England The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

for Brodsky Quartet, the

conducted by

Kazushi Ono Kazushi (written: 和志, 和司, 和士, 和史, 一志 or 一至) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese rugby sevens player *, Japanese writer *, Japanese footballer *, Jap ...

, the

Michael Vyner Trust Michael Vyner (1943 - 20 October 1989) was an English arts administrator. Formerly employed by the music publishers Schott Music, he was Musical Director of the London Sinfonietta from 1972 until his death in 1989. He was one of the victims of th ...

for the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

, Jane Dutcher for Joan Jeanrenaud and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra conducted by

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 202 ...

, and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

for the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compa ...

conducted by Peter Bay. Her love of nature and concern for the environment has influenced many of her works, including ''Questions of Nature'', ''Frozen Horizon'', ''Water and Stone'', ''Dreamscape'', ''Ocean'', ''Silent Ocean'', ''Tales of Trees'', ''Water Dance'', ''Crystalline'' series, and ''Children of Light''. Tanaka taught composition at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

, Santa Barbara, and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, Ann Arbor. Her music is published by

Chester Music Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...

in London (

Wise Music Group Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cl ...

), Schott Music New York (PSNY),

ABRSM The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...

in the UK and Editions Bim in Switzerland. She lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and teaches composition at

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

Major works

Orchestral

*''Anamorphose'' (1986), for piano and orchestra *''Departure'' (1999–2000) *''Echo Canyon'' (1995) *''Guardian Angel'' (2000), for clarinet, harp, percussion and string orchestra *''Hommage en cristal'' (1991), for piano and string orchestra *''Initium'' (1992–93), for orchestra and electronics *''Lost Sanctuary'' (2002) *''Prismes'' (1984)
''Rose Absolute''
(2002)
''Urban Prayer''
(2003–04), for cello and orchestra *''Water of Life'' (2012–13) *''Wave Mechanics'' (1994)

Chamber

*''Always in my heart'' (1999), for clarinet and piano
''At the grave of Beethoven''
(1999), for string quartet *''Dreamscape'' (2001), for 7 instruments
''Enchanted Forest''
(2013), for horn and piano *''Frozen Horizon'' (1998), for 7 instruments *''Holland Park Avenue Study'' (2002), for 5 instruments *''Invisible Curve'' (1996), for 5 instruments *''Metal Strings'' (1996), for string quartet
''Ocean''
(2003), for violin and piano *''Once Upon a Time'' (2021), for flute and piano *''Polarization'' (1994), for 2 percussionists
''Shibuya Tokyo''
(2009), for 2 violins

(2005), for trumpet and piano *''Water and Stone'' (1999), for 8 instruments
''Wind Whisperer''
(2019), for flute, viola and harp

Piano/Harpsichord

''Blue Crystal''
(2014), for piano *''Children of Light'' (1998–99), for piano *''Crystalline'' (1988), for piano *''Crystalline II'' (1995–96), for piano *''Crystalline III'' (2000), for piano *''Herb Garden'' (2005), for piano four hands *''Jardin des herbes'' (1989, rev. 1995), for harpsichord *''Lavender'' (1989), for harpsichord *''Lavender Field'' (2000), for piano *''Love in the Wind'' (2017), for piano
''Masquerade''
(2013), for piano *''Northern Light'' (2002), for piano *''Our Planet Earth'' (2010–11), for piano
''Techno Etudes''
(2000), for piano
''Techno Etudes II''
(2020), for piano
''Water Dance''
(2008), for piano *''Who Stole the Tarts?'' (2016), for piano *''The Zoo in the Sky'' (1994–95), for piano

Solo instrumental

*''Aube'' (2020), for cello, narration and electronics *''L'Éternité'' (2021), for violin and electronics *''Lilas'' (1988), for cello *''Metallic Crystal'' (1994–95), for metallic percussion and electronics *''Night Bird'' (1996), for alto saxophone and electronics
''The Song of Songs''
(1996), for cello and electronics *''Tales of Trees'' (2003), for marimba *''Wave Mechanics II'' (1994), for violin and electronics

Electroacoustic

* ''Celestial Harmonics'' (1997) *''Inuit Voices'' (1997) *''Questions of Nature'' (1998)

Choral

*''God is Love as Love is God'' (2009) *''God Loves Us All'' (2009) *''Rise Up Hallelu'' (2009)
''Sleep Deeply''
(2018) *''Sleep My Child'' (2012) *''Wait for the Lord'' (2009)

Sound design

*''Opening Bell'' for Daiichi Seimei Hall (2000) *''Viva Suntory!'' for Suntory Hall (2010)

Discography

*''At the grave of Beethoven'' (

Vanguard Classics Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a nu ...

– 992120), Brodsky Quartet *''Children of Light'' (BMG – BVCC 37200), Ikuyo Nakamichi, piano *''Crystalline'' (EVE0104),

, piano

(2L – 074 SACD), Signe Bakke, piano *''Crystalline II'' (CRI – CD855), Xak Bjerken, piano *''Crystalline II'' (2L – 074 SACD), Signe Bakke, piano *''Frozen Horizon'' (

New World Records New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.Tokyo Symphony Orchestra; Kazuyoshi Akiyama, conductor *''Invisible Curve'' (New World Records – 80683), Azure Ensemble *''Jardin des herbes'' (Albany Records – TROY1049), Calvert Johnson, harpsichord *''Lavender Field'' (MET – CD 1053), Thalia Myers, piano *''Love in the Wind'' (Octavia Records – TRITON OVCT-00175), Yuko Nakamichi, piano *''Metallic Crystal'' (

Mode Records Mode Records is an American record label in New York City that concentrates on contemporary classical music and other forms of avant-garde music. The label was founded by Brian Brandt in 1984, with a goal of releasing music composed by John Cage. ...

189-192), Roland Auzet, percussion *''Night Bird'' (BIS – CD890),

Claude Delangle Claude Delangle (born 1957) is a French classical saxophonist. He has been teaching saxophone at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris since 1988. He played in "Quatuor Adolphe Sax Paris" with Jacques Baguet, Bruno Totaro and Jean- ...

, alto saxophone *''Night Bird'' (First Hand Records – FHR13), Gerard McChrystal, alto saxophone *''Night Bird'' (La Cupula Music), David Hernando Vitores, alto saxophone *''Northern Light'' (USK – 1227 CDD), Thalia Myers, piano *''Our Planet Earth'' (Sony – SICC 1575), Ikuyo Nakamichi, piano *''Prismes'' (BIS – CD490), Malmö Symphony Orchestra; Junichi Hirokami, conductor *''Shibuya Tokyo'' (Composers Concordance – COMCON0042), Mioi Takeda and Lynn Bechtold, violins *''Silent Ocean'' (CRYSTON OVCC-00040), Osamu Kumashiro, trumpet; Kazumasa Watanabe, piano *''The Song of Songs'' (New Albion Records – NA 120), Joan Jeanrenaud, cello *''The Song of Songs'' (

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record labe ...

– TROY726), Medeleine Shapiro, cello *''The Song of Songs'' (trptk – TTK0011), Maya Fridman, cello *''Techno Etudes'' (BVHAAST – 1000), Tomoko Mukaiyama, piano *''Techno Etudes'' (2L – 074 SACD), Signe Bakke, piano *''Water and Stone'' (New World Records – 80683), Azure Ensemble *''Water Dance'' (2L – 074 SACD), Signe Bakke, piano *''Water Dance'' (Nami Records – WWCC 7708), Kayako Matsunaga, piano *''Wave Mechanics'' (Deutsche Grammophon – POCG 1860), Ensemble Kanazawa *''Wave Mechanics II'' (Albany Records – TROY1305), Airi Yoshioka, violin *''The Zoo in the Sky'' (BMG – BVCC 1094), Ikuyo Nakamichi, piano

References

External links

Karen Tanaka@Wise Music Classical

Karen Tanaka@PSNY

Karen Tanaka@IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Karen 1961 births 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century Japanese composers 20th-century Japanese educators 20th-century women composers 20th-century women educators 21st-century American composers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century Japanese composers 21st-century Japanese educators 21st-century women composers 21st-century women educators American classical composers American women classical composers American music educators American women music educators Japanese classical composers Japanese expatriates in the United States Japanese women classical composers Japanese music educators Living people University of Michigan faculty American women academics 21st-century Japanese women musicians