Mari Yoshihara, 48
Professor of American studies
Honolulu, Hawaii
United States/Japan

Mari Yoshihara, a 2011 Cliburn Amateur competitor, has studied piano since childhood. Upon entering graduate school, she took a break, she says, and kept music compartmentalized, away from her professional life—until she began research that led to the publication of two works: Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian-Americans in Classical Music and a Japanese-language book about the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Currently a professor of American studies at the University of Hawaii, she conducts research, teaching and writing on U.S. cultural history and United States-Asian relations. She was awarded first prize in the amateur division of the Aloha International Piano Festival in 2014; currently, she studies with Thomas Yee. Dr. Yoshihara has many great memories of her experience in Fort Worth, and she looks forward to reuniting with friends she made here. On a romantic note, she also met her current boyfriend, Jun Fujimoto, while participating in the 2011 Cliburn Amateur Competition.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
BARBER   Excursions, op. 20: III. Allegretto
BATES   White Lies for Lomax

Quarterfinal Round
BEACH   “Dreaming” from Four Sketches, op. 15
BERNSTEIN   Touches: Chorale, Eight Variations and Coda
BOLCOM   “The Serpent’s Kiss” from Garden of Eden

Semifinal Round
BUNCH   Etudes Nos. 3, 7, & 11 from Monica’s Notebook
BACH-BUSONI   Chaconne in D Minor

Final Round
SAINT-SAËNS   Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto