HARUKO SEKI - CONCERT PIANIST

Seki- Concert Pianist

HARUKO SEKI - CONCERT PIANIST

 
 
Haruko 19a.jpg
 
Haruko 19a.jpg
 
Music & Vision wrote about her CD of Saint-Saens Piano solo works; "The admirable Japanese pianist, Haruko Seki, applies her refreshing lightness of touch to some of the solo piano pieces. Her immaculate attention to detail is as ravishing as her care over the larger picture…. I would be surprised if Saint-Saens could remain indifferent to performances of this caliber."
Enthusiastic, smiling and happy patrons walked out of the Central Methodist Church in Hucknall last Saturday, singing the praises of the experiences of the very latest Eric Coates Society Concert. Their praises were for the highly impressive performances of international concert pianist Haruko Seki and Laura Roberts, a principal soprano with the Cantamus Choir who, along with pianist Michael Neaum, rendered the three recently discovered ballads of Coastes from 1906 to a waiting and appreciative audience. Consequently, may I thank Central Methodist, the patrons, performers, Coates Society committee members - Ian Stevenson and Harry Smith, the Goddan family, and Joel, Gill and Alan Sanders - and the Press for their outstanding support. Haruko provided an amazing musical spectacular, performing pieces written for orchestra, with great dexterity, fingers often a blur. Laura's maturing ability is outstanding, singing the Coates ballads with sympathetic sensitivity and emotion. As the fourth consecutive sell-out concert, Hucknall can be justifiably proud of the efforts by the society to inform, entertain and maintain the memory of Hucknall's - and one of the nation's - favourite composers. Geoff Sheldon, Chairman, Eric Coates Society.
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Organists' Review says "Haruko Seki demonstarated how beautiful piano playing can be, using herself almost as a human resonator to give a scintillatingly musical performance of the Douze Préludes-Poèms (Charles Tournemire)".

Haruko Seki, described by Musical Opinion as "a pianist with an innate ability to communicate with her audience" has performed at many major UK venues including St John's Smith Square, The South Bank, Wigmore and Fairfield Halls. Internationally she has performed in Europe, America and the Far East.

An Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Haruko completed her Master's, graduating with the Academy's highest performance award, Recital Diploma. The Times has referred to her playing as being "vivid colouristic strokes...bathed in tonal beauty... took one off into a world of serene enchantment." Her inspiration is derived from a cross fertilisation of poetry and music, having obtained her BA Degree in English literature prior to coming to the UK. She has competed internationally, winning First Prize in the USA's St Charles Illinois International Piano Competition, Croydon Symphony Soloist Award, Brant Piano Competition (UK) among others.

Haruko's broad repertoire as a Concerto Pianist encompasses over 30 concertos. Having spent much of her life in the UK, Haruko now sees opportunity to act as a musical channel between the British Isles and Japan and has recently completed a successful project in Japan promoting the works by composers of Britain and Ireland. She runs workshops creating opportunities for her students in the UK and Japan to study together. Haruko’s next project is to create workshops that reach out further afield globally.

She is recently appointed music director for British Music Series in Japan which promotes British music of all genre to Japan.

SELECTED REVIEWS

 'Dazzling virtuosity' is overused in the lexicon of classical music reviews, but Haruko Seki deserves it with knobs on. She was soloist in a breath-taking account of Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F given at West Road by the Cambridge Orchestra. So fluid, passionate and supercharged with energy was her outstanding performance that it put the other two works into the shade."( Cambridge Network Classical )



 “a pianist with an innate ability to communicate with her audience, and an eagerness to share her own evident enjoyment in the music she offered... Her Chopin exuded both poetry and controlled panache... with a power and dexterity that revealed an impressively secure technique”(Musical Opinion)



 “The admirable Japanese pianist, Haruko Seki, applies her refreshing lightness of touch to some of the solo piano pieces. Her immaculate attention to detail is as ravishing as her care over the larger picture… I would be surprised if Saint-Saens could remain indifferent to performances of this calibre. (Music & Vision on her CD of Saint-Saens piano solo works )