Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Magic Flute Overture
Kevin Puts: Marimba Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Sponsored By BCM Foundation

Bio:

Kana Funayama is a Japanese percussionist, marimbist, and arranger whose performance career sees her in a wide range of engagements as soloist, ensemble player, and collaborative artist.

As a soloist, Funayama has presented solo recitals in major venues and media both in the US and Japan including in Tokyo, Sendai in Japan, Rochester, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Classical KING FM, and more. She has been featured as a soloist at numerous concerts including at La Folle Journée TOKYO, “Geisai” in Tokyo, Chosen Vale International Percussion Seminar, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, and many more. Funayama has performed concertos with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan, Walla Walla Symphony in Washington, and USC Thornton Symphony.

As an ensemble player, Funayama has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia, Tokyo Film Brass Orchestra, and many more. She was a member of a new music ensemble the Musica Nova Ensemble under the direction of conductor Brad Lubman from 2021-2023. As a member of the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, she was a featured performer at PASIC 2022 and a winner of the 2022 Percussive Arts Society Percussion Ensemble Competition.

Funayama is an active collaborator with instrumentalists and composers, appearing in collaborators’ recitals, album recordings, films, and premiere performances. She has been involved in premiering a wide repertoire of works including by award winning composer Billy Childs. She actively runs commission projects with composers and is dedicated to expanding and diversifying marimba repertoire in a variety of music styles and genres, leading to the promotion and popularization of the instrument.

As an educator, Funayama coached the Chamber Percussion Ensemble at Eastman School of Music from 2021-2023, and was invited to present at Eastman Online Percussion Festival 2021 as a guest artist. She has visited over 30 schools all over Japan including Fukushima, Kumamoto, and Tokyo to perform and teach younger percussionists in private lessons and band coaching. She has given percussion classes at USC Thornton School of Music and Colburn School.

Funayama holds her Bachelor of Music from Tokyo University of the Arts, and her Master of Music from Eastman School of Music with the esteemed Performance Certificate and Milton Schlesinger Percussion Prize. She is a candidate for Artist Diploma at USC Thornton School of Music. She is the first percussionist in the history of USC to be accepted into the program

Time and Location:
3:00 P.M. September 29th

Vic Lopez Auditorium – Whittier High School
12417 E. Philadelphia St.
Whittier 90601