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Acclaimed percussionist Ayano Kataoka will explore the music of the legendary Stuart S. Smith on Monday, Sept. 30.

The Percussion Guild of the Fredonia Student Association is hosting Ms. Kataoka’s campus visit that begins with an informational session about Mr. Smith’s vibraphone music at 5 p.m. in Mason Hall Room 1080. She will interact with Percussion Guild and Percussion Studio members at the session she will devote to a discussion of Smith’s unique vibraphone music that Kataoka will feature at an evening recital at 8 p.m. in the Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall.

Ayano Kataoka is an exceptional musician ... Her chosen instruments are of the percussion family. Her extraordinary musical instincts and technical control provide an exceptional foundation for musical expression.” - Dr. Karolyn Stonefelt

Both events are free and open to the public.

Smith’s “Links Series of Vibraphone Essays,” often considered the most physically, melodically, rhythmically and conceptually demanding vibraphone music yet composed, is performed all over the world.

Kataoka is known for her brilliant and dynamic technique, as well as the unique elegance and artistry she brings to her performances.
“Ayano Kataoka is an exceptional musician,” said SUNY Distinguished Professor Karolyn Stonefelt. “Her chosen instruments are of the percussion family. Her extraordinary musical instincts and technical control provide an exceptional foundation for musical expression.”

Kataoka was the recipient of the 2023-2024 Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series and Chancellor’s Medal at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is a Professor of Percussion. She has been a seasonal artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2016, when she was chosen as the first percussionist for the society’s prestigious residency program.

Together with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Kataoka gave a world premiere of Bruce Adolphe’s “Self Comes to Mind” for cello and two percussionists at the American Museum of Natural History. She has toured the United States since 2013.

A leading proponent of contemporary repertoire, Kataoka has commissioned and/or premiered works for percussion by such composers as George Crumb, Paul Lansky, Alejandro Viñao, James Wood and Lukas Ligeti.

A Japanese native, Kataoka has a M.M. from the Peabody Conservatory and Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music, where she studied with marimba virtuoso Robert van Sice, who is considered one of the world’s foremost performers of contemporary music for marimba. She has a B.M. from Tokyo University of the Arts.