Ayumi Okada
Ayumi Okada on speaking through music, the courage needed to move to a foreign country, and the importance of not compromising your creative voice.
A native of Kyoto, Japan, Ayumi is a musical theatre/classical music composer based in NYC.
A number of her classical works have been performed by prestigious ensembles such as Listen Closely and A.W. Duo at various concert halls in NYC including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and her musical theatre songs have been performed at The Duplex, Signature Theatre and Feinstein’s/54 Below, among other venues.
Her first EP, "Here, Where The Land Ends And The Sea Begins,” along with several other chamber pieces are published and available through Abundant Silence.
She has also worked for Takarazuka Revue Company in Japan as a co-orchestrator for several shows including 1789: Les Amants de la Bastille and Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story.
She holds M.M. in Music Composition from Mannes College of Music and is a member of BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop.
Mentioned in this episode
George MacDonald (1824-1905) - author of The Grey Wolf
Cape Roca, Portugal
Maestra - women musical theatre composers group
Photo by Nana Shi
LISTEN/WATCH
Violin Concerto #1 begins at 00:39. Premiered April 29, 2012 at Mannes College of Music.
The Gray Wolf begins at 6:42. Commissioned and Premiered by Listen Closely Inwood Chamber Music Initiative. Performers: Karen Dekker and Alex Fortes - violins; Rose Hashimoto - viola; Alyona Aksyonova - piano; James Waldo - cello. Premiered March 10, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.
Illustrations by Ayumi Okada.
Cape Roca begins at 16:31. Recorded on August 6, 2015 at Holy Trinity Church in Inwood, New York City, NY. James Waldo - music director & cello; Alyona Aksyonova - piano.
A Walk in the Park begins at 24:35. Commissioned by Yumi Ito. Premiered by Yumi Ito and Mariko Furukawa on April 15, 2012 at Mannes College of Music.
