I'm a composer and pianist, who primarily composes modern music for two and three pianos, accompanied by a variety of instruments. I've been composing and performing my piano works since receiving my Masters of Art in Music from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My background in classical and jazz music influences my modern compositional style. I've performed my music in concert in Alaska and in Japan. I was awarded Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Project Awards for Music Composition in 2010 and in 2013.
Second to my interest in composing modern music, is my interest is jazz music -- post-modern, modern, cool, bebop, and big band. I've actively studied jazz piano for many years. My thesis for my Masters was focused on McCoy Tyner's music style. I've had decades of experience performing with big bands and leading an active combo known as Fairbanks Jazz.
I relocated with my husband to Minneapolis just before the pandemic. Like everywhere else, COVID-19 limited performing for me. I kept busy composing and practicing piano. I also continue to host Saturday Morning Jazz, a two hour jazz show on KSUA 91.5 FM a college radio station in Fairbanks, Alaska. Last summer I was in Alaska and performed as Fairbanks Jazz with some of my former players. I also performed as a duet. It was nice to have had an opportunity to perform. This year while in Japan, performed on many of the JR station pianos throughout Japan and also had a few opportunities to gig.
Sort-of Recent History:
This year I spent much of the year in Japan. I traveled to Japan once the quarantine period had dropped to a couple of weeks. There are many public pianos that are well cared-for and are regularly tuned at Japan Rail (JR) Stations throughout Japan. So I made a point to play the pianos at the stations I passed through as I travel around Japan with my JR Pass. Because there were no tourists, the pianos were nearly always available. Jazz and my modern compositions were on the playbill. COVID carefulness pushed commuters through the stations like platelets through capillaries. Everyone was masked-up. The few that knew paused to listen, greatful to pocket a brief moment of normalcy. I had fun.
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| JR Station Tour 2022 |
Last summer (2021) Fairbanks Jazz performed as a sextet and a trio at the 2021 Tanana Valley Fair in Fairbanks, Alaska on August 1 and August 3. I also performed as a duet with alto sax at the restaurant Kompai. Kompai is a sushi restaurant which is spacious, and features a baby grand piano. Here is how we sounded playing My Funny Valentine as a sextet at the Fair. To honor the memory of my longtime bassist Philip Josef Glowa (1993-2021), I played his stage piano for this performance.
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| Fairbanks Jazz Sextet 2021 |
Prior to the 2021 summer, Fairbanks Jazz's last performances were in August 2019 at the Tanana Valley Fair and in September 2019 at the UAF Pub. I hope to return to Fairbanks every once-in-a-while to visit and if possible perform. I haven't yet had a chance to plug-in to the music scene as a performer here in the Minneapolis as of 2022.
Here's how Fairbanks Jazz looked and sounded when performing at the UAF Pub... Impressions It features Phil (b), Jim (d), Bret (as), and me on piano. Here is another video. Footprints It features Garrett (b), Bret (as), Jason (TS), Jim (d), and me on piano.. Here's Fairbanks Jazz playing Night and Day as a quintet with vibraphone. Here's a performance at the 2016 Tanana Valley Fair as a quintet of Softly Like A Morning Sunrise.
Fairbanks Jazz at the UAF Pub.
Original Musical Recordings:
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Samples from my 2018 CD | Samples from my 2014 CD |
Samples from my 2011 CD |
Alaska-Inspired Modern Music for Two and Three Pianos (2018) was a release of recordings of my music from my August 2017 concert performance in Fairbanks, Alaska. The compositions were all inspired by the natural world around us. Email me if you are interested in purchasing a copy.
Modern Music for Two and Three Pianos (2014) was the culmination of a year's worth of effort. I composed and performed on all of the pieces on the CD. I also conducted the other players during recordings and performances. The compositions were all inspired by the natural world around us. It was funded by a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. I am selling the CD locally and haven't made it available for sale on the internet. Email me if you are interested in purchasing a copy.
Modern Music for Two Pianos (2011) is available from Amazon.com and at a number of venues around Fairbanks. You may also contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy.
A watercolor sketch captures a concert performance of "Five Worlds"
one of my modern composition for two pianos.
Snapshot of Musical Highlights:
Performances of my band Fairbanks Jazz, with my musical friends from Fairbanks, Alaska is a source of joy in my life. Over the years, we performed at many venues around Fairbanks -- the UAF Pub, Raven's Landing, the MidNight Sun Festival, The Tanana Valley Fair, the International Day celebration and occasionally at the Fairbanks Winter Folk Festival. Fairbanks Jazz also had regular gigs at Bobbies and Lavelle's Bistro. Performing at the UAF Culinary student graduation dinner was always very tasty, as were performances for Thanksgiving, Easter, and Mother's Day buffets a local popular hotel. Although jazz music is a big part of my life, composing and performing my modern music for two and three pianos is my passion.
I performed original compositions for two and three pianos at a free concert in 2017. I performed eleven premieres. The concert was recorded and released as a CD. Email me if you are interested.
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I performed as part of the "Music in the Woods: performance series" a sampling of my original compositions and some jazz standards. The event took place Saturday, March 26 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fairbanks. There was a nice article on me in the Fairbanks News-Miner newspaper. Here we perform But Not For Me. |
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I performed a benefit concert at Hitachi Hall in Sendai, Japan on June 21, 2015. The concert featured my music for two and three pianos. The concert was free to the public. Donations were encouraged for the continued support of efforts related to tsunami and earthquake relief. The sales of my CD after the concert were donated towards this cause.
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| Click on the concert poster or the concert brochure to download a .pdf version | |||
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my planet I host a weekly jazz show called Saturday Morning Jazz on KSUA, 91.5 FM from 10 AM - NOON every Saturdays. I have a jazz combo called Fairbanks Jazz, a.k.a The Etsuko Kimura Combo. Here are some sounds from its past. Click to listen!
I have other interests. For years I was a volunteer participant in a NASA sponsored rocket payload design and engineering program unique to the University of Alaska Fairbanks called the Student Rocket Project. In honor of the successful launch of one of our Orion-powered rocket, i.e. SRP-4, I wrote a big band composition. Have a listen to SRP-4 Rocket as it was performed by the UAF Jazz Big Band in 2007. We Are All One Compositions of mine appear on the last eight compilations of We Are All One an eclectic collection of works by Japanese songwriters. Wild Rose appears on the CD entitled Flower. Graduate School is a piece which appears on the CD "Graduation". Peace of Nature is a piece which appears on the CD "Peace". Aurora Night is a piece which appears on the CD "Good Night". Arctic Winter Morning is a piece which appears on the CD "Wake Up". Fall in Alaska is a piece which appears on the CD "Autumn". Reality and Dream is a piece which appears on the CD "Love". Thinking of You From Alaska is a piece which appears on the CD "Happy Birthday". A portion of the sales of these CD's was given to UNICEF. A limited number of the We Are All One CD's are available for sale. Contact me at my email listed. |  | |
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In memoriam: Philip Josef Glowa (1993-2021)
contact information
You can reach me at: srp4318@hotmail.com.
