– I was…deeply touched to hear instruments from two different cultures playing in such beautiful harmony and sounding completely compatible with each other. Duo YUMENO’s wonderful appeal comes not only from the unique combination of their instruments but from Kimura and Tamaki’s superb technique and impeccable ensemble work. ―
Yasuko Tazumi, Jury President, Kyoto Aoyama Music Award (2015)
Other reviews
New York based koto / shamisen player and singer Yoko Reikano Kimura and cellist Hikaru Tamaki create a singular fusion sound, inspired by tradition but with a contemporary sensibility. Duo YUMENO’s repertoire includes a dynamic range of compositions – both traditional and contemporary – all of which explore the dialogue between classical Japanese and western music.
Their performances have been praised by the New York Times, New York Classical Review, and their activities have been featured in the media such as Chamber Music Magazine, the Japan Times, Hōgaku Journal and NPR. As cultural ambassadors, they have been invited to perform and present their cross-cultural program around the world, notably at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Istanbul, the inaugural concert of Japan-CARICOM Friendship Year 2014 (Trinidad), University of Cambridge (UK) and University of Los Andes (Colombia). In 2014, they were awarded the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program grant, and in 2015, received Aoyama Music Award・Barocksaal Prize. The duo has also performed at prestigious venues such as John F. Kennedy Center, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, the Metropolitan Museum of the Art, United Nations, George Nakashima Foundation, Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C. and Japan Society. In 2019, the duo performed its 10th Anniversary Concert to a sold-out audience at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall.
Since 2010, they have held a successful annual tour to Japan that has extended to such cities as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara. Some of the notable venues are the Tokyo National Museum, Owada Densho Hall (Tokyo), the Aoyama Music Memorial Hall (Kyoto), UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Ryoan-ji Temple, Yakushi-ji Temples, Toshodai-ji Temple and Kasuga Grand Shrine. In 2024, the duo was invited to perform at the Kinpusen-ji Temple (National Treasure) in Mt. Yoshino celebrating the 20th anniversary of World Heritage Site designation.
As a proponent of new music, the duo has commissioned and premiered works by prominent composers based in the US and Japan. The duo champions works by contemporary American and Japanese composers, including Daron Hagen, Lou Harrison, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Minoru Miki, Marty Regan, Yoko Sato, Elizabeth Brown, Ken Ueno, Takatomi Nobunaga, Mayu Masuda, Takuma Ito, Kaito Nakahori, Madoka Mori and many others. Additionally, the duo has collaborated with young composers and presented lecture-demonstrations at institutions such as Princeton University, University of Chicago, New England Conservatory, University of Hawaii, the Hartt School, and Lou Harrison House. The duo’s new album, “Heike Quinto” (composed by Daron Hagen/commissioned by Duo YUMENO 2015-2022) was released by NAXOS label in 2024.
Their collaboration with the Japanese Paper Film Project began in 2024, providing live music to accompany paper films – a novel form of silent shorts produced only in Japan during the 1930s. The duo has been invited to perform their original score at many notable film festivals including, the 44th Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival Australia, MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation, San Fransisco Silent Film Festival and Film Fest Setubal.
About the duo’s name
Heike Quinto
Appassionato Mov.III (composed by Daron Hagen)
commissioned by Duo YUMENO (2015)
A Glinting Edge of Sky
(composed by Donald Womack)
Hikaru Tamaki concertizes regularly as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player in the US and Japan. He served as the principal cellist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and was a member of the Freimann String Quartet from 2001 until 2013. Solo performances with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic have included numerous major concertos in the cello repertoire. Tamaki was a prizewinner in the prestigious All Japan Viva Hall Cello Competition in 2000.
During his annual visits to Japan, he has given solo performances, lecture concerts and chamber concerts. He was a member of the Arcadia Piano Trio and performed together with them at various venues in Japan and the U.S., including the United Nations. He has given a lecture concert at Gakushuin Women’s College in Tokyo, and his activities have been featured in the media such as the Yomiuri and Kyoto Shinbun newspapers. In 2008, he released his first solo album, which includes the works of J.S. Bach and Toshiro Mayuzumi.
In 2008, he began collaborations with Yoko Reikano Kimura (koto/shamisen) under the moniker Duo YUMENO. They have given concerts and workshops at various venues such as Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, University of Cambridge and Princeton University. The duo was awarded the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program grant in 2014, and in the following year, received the Aoyama Baroque Saal Award.
From 2016, he has served as the principal cellist of the Berkshire Opera Festival and is also a member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Town Hall and Fisher Performing Arts Center.
Born in Kyoto, Tamaki’s studies in Japan were with Noboru Kamimura and Peter Seidenberg. Studies in the United States began at the Eastman School of Music, where he was named a George Eastman Scholar, and continued at Rice University and Northwestern University for his graduate degree. His teachers were Paul Katz and Hans Jorgen Jensen. Hikaru Tamaki website