Ryuko Mizutani is a native of Japan who began
study of the koto as a child.
She graduated the NHK (Japanese National Broadcasting
Company) School for Performers of Traditional Japanese Instruments.
She has studied both classical and modern koto music
under the world renowned Koto masters
Tadao and Kazue Sawai. She lived with Mr. and Mrs.Sawai as an
apprentice for three years to study intensively.
She has worked in collaboration with musicians and artists from other
genres, and touring in Paris and London.
As a member of "Kazue Sawai Koto Ensemble", she toured Berlin, India, and Warsaw,
and participated in the New York Bang on a Can Festival.
From 1999 to 2000, Ryuko received a fellowship from
the Japanese Government Oversea Study Program for Artists, studiing with
Anthony Braxton and Alvin Lucier at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
Alvin Lucier composed a piece for solo koto and pure wave oscillator for her.
Ryuko explores new musical possibilities for the koto by collaborationg with
western musicians and artists. She continues to commision new works for the koto
by composers from around the world. Ryuko has been performing to introduce the koto
and offer listeners the opportunity to become familiar with koto music.
In 2004, she performed a koto concerto by a Japanese composer.
Her performance of this concerto with the Penfield Symphony Orchestra was
the U.S premier of the work.
She currently resides in Rochester, NY.