26 April 2012, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
The Toki Quartet was formed by four prize-winning musicians in 2010 at the Royal Academy of Music. They have studied with Martin Outram (Maggini Quartet), and the Vanburgh Quartet, among many others. The group were highly commended in the Sir Arthur Bliss Prize in 2010 and were selected by Peter Manning to perform at the 2011 MasterPiece Fair in Chelsea. They have also been selected to perform pieces by contemporary composers such as David Lumsdane and Steve Reich, in which the latter culminated in a CD recording produced by the Royal Academy of Music. In July 2012 they look forward to working with the composer Nicola LeFanu. Their experience of performing alongside the Scottish Ensemble and the Chillingarian Quartet, and individually with Nobuko Imai and Stephan Picard, has fostered their great interest to explore chamber music further. The Tokis enjoy an ever-expanding performance schedule and are currently planning a tour through England and Japan to promote the link between British and Japanese music. Toki Quartet website.
The concert will include pieces by Kosaku Yamada, Frank Bridge, Toru Takemitsu and Edward Elgar.
Aki Sawa (1st violin)
Born in Tokyo, Aki obtained her BMus with the highest ever marks from Tokyo Geidai. She won major prizes at university, and also obtained the 2nd prize at the International Bach Competition in Paris. Aki is now studying for her MA in Performance with Professor Gyorgy Pauk at the Royal Academy of Music, where she has been awarded major prizes and awards. She was a member of the London Symphony Orchestra String Experience Scheme 2010/2011.
Midori Komachi (2nd violin)
Midori is currently undertaking the Master of Music programme at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Maurice Hasson. At the age of 12, she studied at Basel Music University in Switzerland with Adelina Oprean. She has appeared as a soloist with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and has performed recitals in major venues including Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St.George’s Bristol and Muza Kawasaki. She has won many awards from the Royal Academy of Music and the Hattori Foundation.
Steve Doman (viola)
Steve was awarded a scholarship to attend Wells Cathedral School at the age of sixteen, where his viola teacher was Patricia Noall. He then went on to study with Mark Knight at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is currently studying for his Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Garfield Jackson. He recently took part in an Erasmus exchange to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki to study with Pirkko Simojoki.
Amy Jolly (cello)
A student of Josephine Knight at the Royal Academy of Music, Amy will tour to South Korea with the Sainsbury Academy Soloists and will perform in New York and at the London Proms 2012 with the Academy/Juilliard Symphony Orchestra. Amy performs extensively with her duo partner Mari Kawamura and is a recipient of the Birmingham Royal Ballet Mentorship Scheme.
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