A Gateway to Japan – An Afternoon of Violin and Piano

Sakiko Ohashi, a native of Japan, began her piano studies at the age of four. By the time she was 10 years old, she was accepted to the Juilliard Pre-College Division as a student of Herbert Stessin. Since then, performances have taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe at various notable venues including the Lincoln Center in NY, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Aspen Music Festival, and many more. Since graduating from The Juilliard School with Bachelor and Master of Music, she has been a passionate educator and has taught at the Greenwich House of Music in New York, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee, Augustana College in South Dakota, Bard College in New York, and University of Miami in Florida.  Ms. Ohashi also served as Assistant Chair of Music at The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA|Riverfront), where she directed the Classical Instrumental Division for five years. She also served as the Director of the Preparatory Division at The Bard Conservatory. Her students have won numerous competitions both locally and nationally. She is a founder/artistic director of West Windsor Chamber Music Festival in Vermont.

Reiko Tachibana began taking Suzuki-method violin lessons at the age of four, receiving direct instruction from Mr. Shinichi Suzuki. She was an award winner in the Mainichi Student Music Competition for the elementary and high school divisions.  At age fourteen, Tachibana performed with the Soai Junior Conservatory of Music as their concertmistress for a Milan and Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad) tour as part of Osaka’s sister city friendship project. Following her 1990 graduation from the music department of Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya High School, Tachibana entered the French National Conservatory of Lyon (C.N.S.M de Lyon) and studied violin, chamber music, and music analysis. While a student, she performed in chamber music concerts in France and in Italy. Tachibana joined the European Foundation Mozart Academy following her 1994 graduation and appeared in chamber music, orchestral, and operatic performances throughout Eastern Europe. Upon returning to Japan she continued performing around Japan and internationally. Currently, Reiko performs in variety of musical groups including Ensemble Harima, Ensemble Harima String Quartet, and Kobe Bach Ensemble. Aside from her musical pursuits, in 2013, Tachibana became involved in the preservation movement for The Jonas House, one of the best preserved Western-style residences located in Kobe. Greatly impressed with Frank Morris Jonas life and his book Netsuke (the first English publication in Japan about the miniature carved sculptures) conveying Japanese culture to the world through traditional crafts, Tachibana became closely involved in the Japanese translation and proofreading of Netsuke. Merging her interest with the Jonas family and her love of music, Tachibana also commissioned and premiered the 2021 Katsuji Maeda composition, Jonas on his seashore: Homage to Frederick Maurice Jonas & Frank Morris Jonas.