Yoko Reikano Kimura is a US-Japan based Yamada school koto/shamisen performer and has concertized around the world, including prestigious venues such as Kabuki-za, John F. Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kimura has performed Daron Hagen’s Koto Concerto: Genji with many orchestras and string quartets including the Wintergreen Music Festival Orchestra, INTERWOVEN and New Japan Philharmonic. Kimura is a founder of Duo YUMENO, and their second album, Heike Quinto was released by Naxos in 2024. The duo will give the world premiere performance of Hagen’s Aviary: Concerto for Koto, Cello, and Orchestra in 2025. Her awards include the First prize at the prestigious Kenjun Memorial National Koto Competition and the Kyoto Aoyama Barocksaal Award. Kimura has studied with Kono Kameyama, Senko Yamabiko (Living National Treasure) and Akiko Nishigata. As a Japanese music specialist, Kimura recently served as a consultant for Carnegie Hall’s educational program.