Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Connoisseurs of international music will have a rare opportunity to experience Japanese art songs during a free recital Tuesday [Feb. 19] at Mississippi State University.
The talents of pianist Kumiko Shimizu are being featured in "Musical Journey to Japan," which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium of Giles Hall. She is an assistant professor of music at Delta State University.
Shimizu will be accompanied by Iwao Asakura, an assistant professor in the MSU music department, which is sponsoring the performance.
Shimizu will perform selected works by Japanese artists of the early 1900s.
The classically trained musician has been part of major operatic productions, including "Aida," "La Traviata" and "The Marriage of Figaro," among others. She also has toured with the Lake George Opera throughout New York and Vermont in an outreach program for elementary school students.
Additionally, she has been featured in Natchez opera and music festivals, as well as with outreach concerts and educational programs of Opera Idaho and the Rimrock Opera in Montana and Wyoming.