Event

Maiko Souda Soprano Recital

Date : April 10, 2016 (Sunday) Door Open 6:30 pm Program Start 7:00 pm
Place : Christ & St. Stephen's Church
(120 W 69 St. New York, NY 10023)
Admission : $ 25(Adult), $10(Student over 6 years)
Program : Japanese songs medley, Arias from "Madama Butterfly",Duets from "L'elisir d'amore" and "L'amico Fritz", etc.

Performer

Maiko Souda (Soprano)
Maiko Souda graduated with bachelor's degree in piano and master's of music in opera at Tokyo Collage of Music. She has been awarded high prize in numerous competitions. She is a member of Tokyo Nikikai, the largest opera foundation in Japan. She has been performing various roles in operas, including Adina in L'elisir d'amore, La Contessa in The Marriage of Figaro, and Pamina in The Magic Flute.
She studied at The Juilliard School under Maestro Vincent La Selva. Currently, she studies under Maestro Francisco Casanova. Ms. Souda joined the Six Annual Circle Wind Concert held at Merkin Concert Hall in September 2013 and Second Japan-US Chorus Festival held at Carnegie Hall in October in 2013. She held her solo recital at the Opera America in June, 2014. She was invited to the Japanese ambassador's residence to sing Japanese Anthem in July and December 2014. She sang Mimi in La Boheme at Vera Musica production Opera and will sing Violetta from La Traviata in April 19th in Ridgewood.
Recentry she released hew new CD "The Beauty of Nature".

Francisco Casanova (Tenor)
Praised for his expressive bel-canto style - in the tradition of Aureliano Pertile and Pier Miranda Ferraro - Francisco Casanova sang for almost 25 years in the great theaters of the world, performing an extensive repertory comprising a total of 56 leading tenor roles - twenty by Giuseppe Verdi alone. His interpretations of the Jew Éléazar, Mario Cavaradossi, Manrico, Arrigo (both in Vespri Siciliani and La Battaglia di Legnano), Riccardo (Un Ballo in Maschera), Enzo Grimaldo, Didier (Marion Delorme, by Amilcare Ponchielli), Jacopo Foscari and Avito (L'Amore dei Tre Re) elicited enthusiastic applause from audiences as well as positive commentaries from the press, who would finish their reviews with such personal notes as "when Francisco Casanova sang his third act aria, it seemed as if he were singing directly to God." (Concertgebwou, Amsterdam, L'Amore dei Tre Re, March 2003) and "I pray to the Holy Father to keep him in good singing health for a long time to come." (with Teatro alla Scala, I Due Foscari Milano, May 2003).
Francisco Casanova, has been honored with many awards world-wide, amongst them the Beniamino Gigli d'Oro 2004 (Recanati) and the Beniamino Gigli d"Oro (Helsinki 2007). He was the first non-Italian singer ever to receive these awards. Awards also include: Singer of the Year 2002 by the Berlin Opera, The First Grand Price for Male Voices of the 28th. Edition of the Francisco Viñas Singing Competition (Barcelona 1990), the Second Price for Male Voices of the Bilbao III Singing Competition (Bilbao 1990). In the year 2000, Mr. Casanova was made honorary member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Verdi Studies. He was a National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Singing Competition in 1989. In 2001 he recorded live for Radio France Amilcare Ponchielli's last opera, Marion Delorme. This recording won the Prix du Disc in 2002. Francisco Casanova studied singing with late Italian tenor Maestro Pier Miranda Ferraro who was his mentor for 20 years until his death at age 84 in 2008. In 2009, Mr. Casanova opened his singing school in New York City, Accademia di Canto Pier Miranda Ferraro.

Yoko Reikano Kimura (Koto)
Yoko Reikano Kimura, koto/shamisen performer and singer was touted as "superb" by the New York Times. Following her studies at Tokyo University of Arts, the NHK School for Young Professionals and the Institute of Traditional Japanese Music, she was awarded a scholarship from the Agency of Culture Affairs of Japan. Her teachers include Kono Kameyama, Senko Yamabiko (Living National Treasure) and Akiko Nishigata. Yoko has won numerous awards including the First prize at the prestigious 10th Kenjun Memorial National Koto Competition. She received the First prize at the 4th Great Wall International Music Competition and the Osaka Chinese Counsel Award and won the Japanese Music Audition for NHK-FM radio. As Duo YUMENO, she received Chamber Music America Commissioning Award in 2014 and Kyoto Aoyama Barock Saal Award in 2015. As a soloist, she has performed with numerous string quartets, chamber ensembles, and chamber orchestras. Yoko concertized extensively throughout Japan, the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South America.

Yumi Hashimoto (Piano)
Pianist Yumi Hashimoto has performed as a soloist, collaborative pianist and vocal accompanist. Specialized in the classical repertoire, she has performed several piano concerts with the South Bay Youth Orchestra and the Carson Symphony, premiered new music by up and coming composers with one of them being Grammy-Award Winning Composer Daniel Ho, and given solo performances in Europe and the United States. With a passion for vocal music and musical theater, Yumi has worked as an accompanist from an early age and has performed in art song recitals in New York City.
Yumi holds a Masters Degree in classical piano from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Jeffrey Cohen, Phillip Kawin, Laurie Carney and Kenneth Cooper. She also earned her Bachelor's Degree from the California State University Dominguez Hills under the tutelage of Stephen Moore, Konstantin Sirounian and Frances Steiner.