竹原 美歌 / Mika Takehara

Mika Takehara Percussion
Mika Takehara, percussion and marimba soloist, has developed a new musical, mental
and technical balanced performance approach that has been uppmärksammad by the
new Swedish Museum of Performance Arts and honored with an own exhibit.
Mika Takehara has after making her debut as marimba soloist with the Kroumata
Ensemble in 1998 and shortly afterwards performing at the International Percussion
Event, organized in conjunction with Stockholm’s year as Cultural Capitol of Europe,
established herself as a soloist, appearing frequently with concerts in Sweden, Japan
and all over Europe.
Mika also plays under Maestro Seiji Ozawa with the Saito Kinen Orchestra, 2016
Grammy awarded with best opera recording and worked as timpanist in the Mito
Chamber Orchestra 2005-2010.
In September 2009 Mika Takehara debut as soloist with the Berliner Philharmonic
Orchestra under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel together with the group “Glorious
Percussion” in Sofia Gubaidulina’s Percussion Concerto “Glorious Percussion”. The
piece was first performed together with the Gothenbourg Symphony Orchestra earlier
2009 and she has since played with orchestras such as Los Angels Philharmonic
Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Lucern Philharmonic Orchestra
and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands
Radio Orchestra etc.
Mika Takehara graduated Toho Gakuen college of Music in Tokyo Japan after
percussion/timpani studies for Prof. Yoshitaka Kobayashi, Kyoichi Sano and Akikuni
Takahashi and marimba studies for the wold famous marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe.
Mika received her Research Diploma at Toho Gakuen in 1997 and got invited by
professor Anders Loguin at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm to
attend the college as a guest student. After four years of studies in Stockholm she
graduated from the soloist diploma course with the highest honors in 2001, giving her
diploma concert with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2015 Mika debut as a composer with the piece Ichos to the dancer Virpi Pahkinen,
percussion solo and electronics.
In April 2017 the music documentary "Sonica Sequence" was premiered in
Copenhagen "film festival"CPH:DOX in which Mika and Lisa Nordstrom, duo
ZAWAZAWA, perform with a session recorded in Tokyo
2017-2018 seasons highlights will be a solo recital in Stockholm Concert house and
chamber Concert at the Swedish Radio Hall, Berwaldhallen, and season 2018-2019
will contain a world premier of composer Johannes Janssons Marimba Concerto with
Swedish National Orchestra in Gothenburg and solo concert tour in Japan and Sweden
with Musica Vitae.
Mika Takehara is an Sabian cymbals LTD Canada and Pearl Drums artist.