Reiko Nakano (born 1983) is a violinist, founder of Strings by Reiko, and director of Sound Roads Music (music school).

Early life

Nakano was born in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan. At age three, Nakano began playing the violin. She studied classical music. Nakano was an accomplished violinist in classical music.

Education

At age 18, Nakano traveled from Japan to Boston, Massachusetts, United States to study contemporary music. In 2005, Nakano earned a bachelor's degree in music from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

and is a member of the

List of Berklee College of Music alumni The following contains a list of notable alumni of Berklee College of Music. Members of this list have attended Berklee for at least one full-time semester (not including honorary degrees or summer programs) ''and'' are notable in their respecti ...

. Nakano's study was in the field of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and world music.

Career

While Nakano was a student, she performed with many pop, rock, R&B, and rap artists including

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

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, Richard Evans,

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

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Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, Donna McElroy,

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

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, T-Pain, Dianna Reeves,

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

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, and John Williams. In January 2010, Nakano founded Strings by Reiko (SBR), a music group that is a string ensemble. The group's repertoire includes classical music, jazz, tango, rock, and pop arranged for a string ensemble presentation. Since 2011, Nakano has performed violin on stage in venues such as the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas,

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

and Staple Center in Los Angeles. Nakano performed violin on stage at the

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

s in Las Vegas, Nevada and at the NBA All Stars Game Half Time Show in Los Angeles, California, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.(February 20, 2011) - as herself performing violin with

. In addition to playing the violin, Nakano is also an arranger and composer. Nakano is also a music instructor. In July 2015, Nakano founded and became the director of Sound Road Music, a music education school in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

Personal life

Nakano's husband is Tom Farrell, a musician who has been playing guitar since the age of twelve. In 2011, Nakano and Emi Gilbert supported the efforts of the

Japanese Red Cross The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross. The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters i ...

on recovery of the people affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

Discography

Album

* 2007 Let It Go by

Josh Nelson Josh Nelson is an American jazz pianist and composer. Nelson produced his independent debut album ''First Stories'' at age 19. His second album, ''Anticipation (Josh Nelson album), Anticipation'', was released in 2004 with all his compositions. ...

, jazz - violin. * 2010 Timeless, rap - violin. * 2010 Timeless:

Arthur Verocai Arthur Cortes Verocai (born June 17, 1945) is a Brazilian composer, singer, and producer. He is best known for his 1972 self-titled debut album which garnered a cult following during the 2000s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Care ...

. Live At Luckman Theatre. (March 15, 2009), jazz - violin. * Timeless:Suite for Ma Dukes by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, rap - violin. * 2010 When Love Happens: The Loving Day Concert by Sandra Booker, jazz - violin. * 2012 The Salesman and the Shark by

Sean Rowe Sean Rowe (born February 16, 1975) is an alternative folk singer-songwriter and musician. Early life Born and raised in Troy, New York, Rowe started playing music at an early age. He received a bass guitar from his father on his 12th birthday ...

, Pop/Rock - violin. * 2016 Live from Lexx's Mom's Garage by Steel Panther - violin. * 2018

Heaven and Earth (Kamasi Washington album) ''Heaven and Earth'' is the fourth studio album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington. It was released on June 22, 2018, through Young Turks Recordings. Both CD and LP versions of the album contain an extra disc called "The Choice" which ...

by Kamasi Washington, jazz - violin.

Single

* 2012 If You Love Me by Joy Valencia - strings. * 2012 Horses by

- viola. * 2012 Long Way Home by Sean Rowe - viola. * 2012 The Ballad of Buttermilk Falls by Sean Rowe - viola. * 2012 The Wall by Sean Rowe - viola.

Filmography

Selected list of Nakano's film, music video, and commercial video. * 2003 Cafe and Tobacco - Film directed by Michael Justiz. Musician. * 2006 Existence - Film directed by Anthony Leonardo III. Musician: violin * 2008 After Roberto - Film directed by Louis Fusco and Marc L. Fusco. Musician: violin. * 2009

Your Decision "Your Decision" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album, '' Black Gives Way to Blue'' (2009). Written by Jerry Cantrell, who also sings lead vocals on the song, it was released as the second single from the album on No ...

music video by

Alice In Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

(2009) - as herself performing on a violin. * 2010

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

- Film directed by

Albert Martinez Alberto Pineda Martinez (born April 19, 1961), is a Filipino actor, director and producer. Early life He was born in Manila on April 19, 1961 to Bert Martinez, and Margarita Pineda. Career Martinez began as a film actor. He took his first tel ...

. Violin. * 2010 Tico Tico - as herself performing on a violin with Tom Farrell. * 2009 Na Boca Dol Sol from Timeless III of IV:

(March 15, 2009) - as herself performing on violin. * 2010 Blackbird - as herself performing on a violin with Tom Farrell. * 2010 Don't You Worry About A Thing - as herself performing on a violin with Tom Farrell. * 2011 Prayer for Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund - as herself performing on violin. * 2011 Matuss at Standard, MDW - as herself performing on a violin with DJ Matuss and Rockachic. * 2011 Nada Sousou (涙そうそうー) - as herself performing on a violin. * 2012 Hewett-Packard dv67 intel 2nd generation commercial (2012) - as herself performing on a violin. * 2012 Somewhere Over The Rainbow - as herself performing on a violin. * 2014 Westpac Bank - Wedding from Westpac Australian commercial (2014) - as herself performing on a violin. * 2015 America's Next Model season 22 Finale Runway Show - as herself performing on a violin. * 2015

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

(2015) - as herself performing on violin with Surrender by Il Volo. * Uber commercial (2017) - as herself performing on a violin.

Other performances

* 2007 Live Earth concert at

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

in New Jersey (July 7, 2007) - as herself on a violin with

Kelly Clark Kelly Clark (born July 26, 1983) is an American snowboarder who won halfpipe gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Clark was born in Newport, Rhode Island. She started snowboarding when she was 7 years old, began competing in 1999, and became a me ...

singing

Sober In cryptography, SOBER is a family of stream ciphers initially designed by Greg Rose of QUALCOMM Australia starting in 1997. The name is a contrived acronym for ''S''eventeen ''O''ctet ''B''yte ''E''nabled ''R''egister. Initially the cipher wa ...

. *

2011 Billboard Music Awards The 2011 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were held May 22, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and hosted by Ken Jeong. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2010. Performances Winners and nominees Winne ...

MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

in Las Vegas, Nevada (May 22, 2011) - as herself performing violin with

Far East Movement Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American Hip hop music, hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and as of August 2018 consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), DJ Virman (Vi ...

, a hip hop/pop group. *

2011 NBA All-Star Game The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 20, 2011, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2010–11 season. It was the 60th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Staples C ...

Half Time Show at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California (February 20, 2011) - as herself performing violin with

. * 2013 Two Steps From Hell Live Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California (June 14, 2013) - as herself performing violin. * 2014

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

Main Show at Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles (November 23, 2014) - as herself performing on a violin in Bed of Lies with Nicki Minaj and Skylar Grey.

References

External links

Reiko Nakano at AllMusic.com

*
Reiko Nakano at MusicBrainz.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakano, Reiko Japanese violinists Living people 21st-century violinists 1983 births 21st-century women musicians Women jazz musicians Jazz violinists