“Keiko Abe is the legendary marimbist. She has the ability to merge with her marimba: the resulting union produces music with incredible depth of feeling. She represents a perfect combination of virtuoso technique and passionate artistry. Her transformative expressivity, combined with her intense concentration, has created a unique and highly artistic world of the marimba. She has garnered immense praise and status as an artist who has left her mark on music history, receiving acclaim all over the world.
She commands an overwhelming repertoire and appears regularly throughout the world in performances of solo concertos, chamber music, and improvisations. She is also in demand as a guest lecturer and has given master classes in more than 110 leading music conservatories in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, she has served on juries for international competitions around the world, including the Geneva and Munich International Music Competitions.
She has also been passionate about the development of the marimba, and her legendary achievement is the completion of the modern 5-octave marimba. By both pioneering new technical skills and expanding the literature, she has transformed what was once considered a primitive “folk” instrument into a full-fledged concert instrument welcome in any of the most prestigious concert halls.
She is the first woman in the world to be inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame and has received numerous awards, including the Fine Arts Festival Award (six times) and the Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Award, Government of Japan.
Her compositions have become the standards of marimba literature and can be heard in recitals by marimbists all over the world. Many modern composers have also dedicated new works to her, and she has inspired and premiered countless new compositions.
She has written over 110 compositions and world premiered over 185 compositions, commissioned more than 70 pieces, performed at more than 60 major international music festivals, and released more than 50 CDs, DVDs, and video titles.
In 2023, the Keiko Abe International Marimba Competition was established to honor her extraordinary achievements. As the first competition in the marimba world to be named after an individual, it marks a historic milestone. It plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of marimbists.
She authored My Marimba Works: An Approach to Interpretation and Expression (GIA Publications), which details her compositions, performance approaches, and offers deep insight into her musical philosophy.
She previously served as a visiting professor at the Utrechts Conservatorium in the Netherlands and the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. She is currently a professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music and a guest professor at Nagoya Music College.”