Esteemed pianist to perform at Music in Art event

Acclaimed pianist Mirei Tsuji is to perform as part of the Bermuda National Gallery’s upcoming Art In Music event on April 26.  Tsuji has worked with renowned musicians including Hiromi Okada, Dominique Merlet and Peter Feuchtwanger and was the overall winner of the Rome International Competition in both Four Hands and Two Hands pianos sections with Miho Sanou among numerous other accolades. She is currently based in London and continues to give recitals, mainly throughout the UK, France and Japan.

The Art of Music fundraiser was first hosted in 2011 to bring the disciplines of art and music together. It aims to recognize the gallery’s “shared belief in collaborating to reach common goals of social and cultural enrichment”.

Sensitive

Tsuji is described as: “A sensitive and artistic player and an accomplished pianist. Her varied musical education in Japan, France and England has resulted in a performer with an individuality and personality’ (Christopher Elton)

“One of the most exciting talents I have come across in recent years!” (Peter Feuchtwanger).

She said: “In music, I’d like to be completely open and free. My aim is to achieve a real sense of freedom through a musical journey. For me, that is the true meaning of expression.”

This rather demanding programme for solo piano celebrates the genius of 18th century Mozart and then transports the audience into the 19th century for an appreciation of Spanish composers: Granados, Turina and Albeniz. The programme will conclude with Chopin’s Sonata in B minor that “holds a very important place in contemporary concert repertoire.”

BNG Chairman, Gary L. Phillips, who introduced the Music of Art programme to the gallery, said:

 “I had the joy of hearing pianist Mirei Tsuji perform in Paris, France last summer and knew immediately that I wanted to share her extraordinary virtuosity and interpretative style with Bermuda. The Bermuda National Gallery is, however, equally delighted to collaborate with the Family Centre and to present this Art of Music experience under the Distinguished Patronage of Mr. Richard D. Butterfield OBE and Mrs. Susan Butterfield whose passion and commitment for the arts in Bermuda continues to move this community to greater enlightenment.”

This year’s event is being run in partnership with the Family Centre.

Family Centre Executive Director, Martha Dismont says:

“The arts are a vital aspect of a healthy society and the Bermuda National Gallery is an organization that is committed to reaching all people and families in our community with the inspiration that art provides. Family Centre is delighted to be associated with this Art of Music event, featuring pianist Mirei Tsuji. We are honoured to have the support of BNG and the community to assist us as we reach out to more families with helping services that strengthen children and positive parenting in Bermuda.”

The Art of Music takes place on April 26 at the Earl Cameron Theatre in City Hall from 8pm following a tour of the gallery from 7pm to 7:45pm. Tickets are $65 and will be available via www.ptix.bm from April 1.

Mirei Tsuji bio

• Mirei Tsuji started playing the piano at the age of four in Algeria. After returning to Japan, she joined the Junior Toho Music College. She then moved to the UK in 1988 where she won a scholarship to study at the Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music London with Antonietta Notariello.
• She continued to further her studies with Christopher Elton. In 1996, Mirei moved to the Paris Conservatoire (Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse) as part of ERASMUS exchange scheme and studied with Gerard Fremy. During her course she took part in the Russian festival giving the UK première of a work entitled composition 3 by Galina Ustvolskaya with the Manson ensemble.
• She took part in the Serbian TV documentary on Serbian composers playing works by Vasilije Mokranjac in “A Tempo” and “World is Music” which were broadcast in Serbia. She graduated from the postgraduate degree with a distinction in 1999.
• She has worked with renowned musicians and professors such as Hiromi Okada, Dominique Merlet and Peter Feuchtwanger.
• She was a prize winner at the Karic Millenium competition held in London and a finalist of the Cantu International Competition for Piano and Orchestra, Italy in 2001.
• She won the second prize in the San Sebastian International Piano competition in the duo section with pianist Tomoaki Kimura.
• She was also the overall winner of the Rome International Competition in both Four-Hands and Two-pianos sections with pianist Miho Sanou and performed at Teatro Vale in Rome. Currently based in London,  Mirei continues to give recitals mainly throughout the UK, France and Japan.
• She also recently organized a charity concert event which was held in Paris in October 2012 to raise funds for the Tsunami victims in Japan and donated the collected funds to the organisation “Minna no ie~Home for All”; which is a project to build a house which can be used as a shared public space by the victims of the tsunami.