Award-winning pianist to perform at Union Sunday

Rachel Dorroh • November 8, 2023

Award-winning pianist and Union College Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Yukiko Fujimura will perform this Sunday in Union’s Conway Boatman Chapel at 3 p.m. The performance is part of an annual concert series sponsored by the Fine Arts Association of Southeastern Kentucky and will feature a mix of composers.

“I'm very excited about one of the pieces, which is going to be a world premiere,” says Fujimura.

Dr. Matthew Herman, associate professor of music at Western Kentucky University, wrote “Sheltowee Sonata” especially for Fujimura to perform at this concert. Each of the composition’s three movements is based on a different Appalachian folksong, and Herman will be at the concert to speak about the new work.

In addition to Herman’s work, Fujimura will perform pieces by Erik Satie, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Fujimura regularly performs solo and chamber music, as well as concerti with orchestra, and has received numerous awards and honors for her excellence. She has been named prize winner of the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Competition of Slavic Music, the Yokosuka International Piano Competition, the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Performance competition in Wisconsin, the Schubert Club Competition, the Ball State University Graduate Concerto Competition, and the Slavic Music Competition for Piano and Orchestra.

In addition to her accolades as a performer, Fujimura’s innovative contributions to the field of music education have gained increasing recognition.

“My teaching focuses on expressing through music, which is kind of a gray area that's very hard to teach,” she explains.

“So, I looked into other disciplines, including child behavioral therapy, and started using visual tools to get them to really focus on the emotional side of music.”

In October, Fujimura presented on this topic in Santiago, Chile at the XIV Latin American and VI Pan American Regional Conference of the International Society for Music Education. Her presentation “Let Them Tell a Story: Tools for Self-expression Through Music,” featured details of her collaboration with Japanese illustrator Tetsu Goto. She worked with Goto to create a set of musical emotions flashcards which will be available to music educators in the future, production pending.

“Every child can express through music,” Fujimura says. “They just need help.”

Fujimura has been a member of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association (KMTA) for three years and currently serves as the organization’s vice-president/president-elect. She teaches applied piano, introduction to music, and elementary school music at Union.

Sunday’s concert is part of the Fine Arts Association of Southeastern Kentucky, Inc.’s mission to promote and encourage the fine arts throughout Southeastern Kentucky.

Tickets are available at the door for $10. However, students, staff, and faculty of both Union College and University of the Cumberlands get in free with college i.d., as both institutions are sponsors.

To learn more about the Fine Arts Association of Southeastern Kentucky, see fineartsseky.org. To purchase season tickets for the concert series, see fineartsseky.org/tickets.

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