【PROFILE】

Keiko Harada’s career as composer began with her improvisation on the piano as a child. Studied composition, piano, chamber music and conducting at the Toho Gakuen College of Music.Graduatedin 1993 with Kenkyu-ka Katei (post graduate) in composition. She studied composition with Manabu Kawai, Akira Miyoshi and after college in several international seminar with Brian Ferneyhough, pianowith Michio Mamiya and chamber music (Gyorgi Kurtag’s work) with Gyorgi Kurtag.

Harada’s works have won numerous awards in different form ; The 62nd Japan Awards(1st prize) for chamber work, Yasuda prize, E-Nakamichi Prize(’93), Yamaguchi-Prefectural Governor’s prize(’95),Akutagawa Orchestra Composition Prize (’01), Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize for solo work(’04), Otaka Prize for orchestra (’09) and others. Her international activities have been supported by grants fromThe Japan Foundation, The Nomura Cultural Foundation, The Japan-Canada Fund, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Darmstadt (IMD), Royamont(France), Bartok Seminar and others. In 2002 she worked in NewYork City on a grant of Asian Cultural Council (ACC) .

Many of Harada’s works were commissioned by leading festivals, ensembles or seminars in many countries(Ictus, Champ d’Action, , Elision, Phorminx, Drumming, Remix, Ensemble Modern, NHK SymphonyOrchestra, Yomiuri-Japan Symphony Orchestra, Izumi Symphonietta Osaka…). Especially many soloists have requested new work as Yo-yo Ma, Takashi Yamane, Carin Levine, Mike Svoboda, Stefan Hussong,Toshiya Suzuki, Kaori Nakajima, Nanae Yoshimura, Naoko Kikuchi, Etsuko Tazaki, Rumi Ogawa, Yutaka Oya, Piet Van Bockstal..). 
Several compositions have been selected as repertoire such as for International Jacobi Competition (’03), for International Arasate Competition(since ’09), for International EnsembleModern Academy (since ’08).

Her portrait concerts took place in Japan (’97,’01),Belgium (2000), NHK FM Radio Broadcast(’06 &’09), Gewandhaus and Saarland Radio Broadcast(’07),International Asiago Festival (’09) andNachtstuecke Musikfest (2010).
In recent years she has done many collaborative works with choreographers(Astad Deboo, Taipei Dance Circle and others), Theater Director(Satoshi Miyagi), Japanese traditional Flower Arts (KouzoOkada) and Film director(Kiju Yoshida, for ‘Women in a Mirror’ , invited film of Cannes International Film Festival where Harada presented). 
Further artistic activities including ; Leader of Ensemble Manufacture (1989-1999), Founder of Ensemble Nomad (’97-98). In 2004-08, Worked as councilor of Tokyo Wonder Site where she developed‘’Support Projects for Young Musicians’’, ‘’Ensemble Modern Academy(IEMA) in Tokyo’’ and many others. Currently the leader of SOUND GEAR since 1999, a project bringing together musicians from variousparts of the world presenting new music as performing arts with professionals of theater as well as educational project for young composers. The latest educational project was in Stanford Univ.andCalifornia Univ,Berkeley(’09) supported by The Japan Foundation.

She is currently Associate Professor of composition department at Tokyo College of Music. In addition, she is lecturing at Toho Gakuen College of Music and The National Fine Arts University,Tokyo.

Her works has been published by Zen-On and Tokyo Concerts Inc.(Japan) in addition to Edition Wunn (Germany). Portrait CDs at FONTEC(Japan)and Cypres (Belgium).