Naomi Yamaguchi
United States/Japan  | Age 15

Quarterfinal Round Recital – Monday, June 3, 2019 – 2:30 p.m. CDT
Caruth Auditorium, SMU  I  Dallas, Texas, USA

Program:
HAYDN Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50 (I)
BOWEN Toccata in A Minor, op. 155
CHOPIN Nocturne in F-sharp Major, op. 15, no. 2
CHOPIN Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, op. 22

Michigan-born Naomi Yamaguchi made her orchestral debut at 8 and her recital debut when she was 10. Appearances since include the Detroit Institute for the Arts, Jordan Hall, Detroit Symphony Hall, Consulate of Japan, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts, Switzerland, and Italy. She has several first-prize finishes to her name and has been featured on From the Top and WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase. A second-year student of Hitomi Koyama at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. She is a scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, the Tatum Foundation for the Arts, and selected as the Young Artist of the Year 2017 of the Ruth Laredo Foundation. Naomi has a passion for performing at senior centers and a particular interest in the relation between music and memory in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. She also plays clarinet in her school’s marching band.

“I believe music is a medicine. Researchers are exploring how music therapy can improve the health of their patients, including premature infants and those with Parkinson’s disease. I feel honored to have the ability to play for them, and it is my passion to help others with my music.”