Nanae Mimura is acclaimed internationally for her virtuoso, passionate, and charismatic performances across a wide range of repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary classical music to pop and folk styles.
She has performed widely across the U.S. and in over 22 countries in Asia, Europe, Central America and South America. Ms. Mimura has been welcomed four times in Guatemala (where the marimba is the national instrument) and was appointed the first honorary member of Guatemala Marimba Society in 2001. She especially enjoys her international travels affording her the opportunity to perform with local musicians in cultural exchange programs and enthralling audiences around the world while promoting international goodwill.
Ms. Mimura was the third recipient ever of the Premio Alosi (Switzerland). She won the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York in 1999 which led to a New York debut recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. With praise for her musicality and rich, dynamic sound, Ms. Mimura also won many international competitions during her school years including the Percussive Arts Society Marimba Solo Competition.
Sony Records in Japan has released several her recordings which include Marimba Spiritual (2000), Universe (2002) and Prana (2006). Her fourth solo album, Marimba Crystal –prayer– was released by Octavia Records in 2016. In 2014, Columbia Records in Japan released a live recording of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s marimba concerto Bird Rhythmics Op.109 performed by Ms. Mimura and the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Mimura commissioned and premiered the work in 2010 with the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed it with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony Orchestras, and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra.
In recent years, she has been invited to perform at the opening concert of the Liszt Festival (Austria) in 2022, and in March 2025, she had performed the world premiere of Steven Snowden’s Percussion (Marimba & Vibraphone) Concerto Long Distance with the Kunitachi Wind Orchestra in Tokyo.
Ms. Mimura was born and raised in Japan and received her Bachelor of Music from Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo. She then moved to the United States where she earned a master’s degree at The Boston Conservatory in 2000 studying under Nancy Zeltsman. Immediately upon her graduation, she joined the faculty of Berklee College of Music until 2004 when she decided to return to Japan.
Ms. Mimura was a guest faculty member at Percussion Friends Chamber Music Academy held at Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2013 and 2014. She frequently served on faculty at Zeltsman Marimba Festival (which takes place in different locations). She served as a member of the jury at The Latin America Marimba Competition in Mexico (2013); the Universal Marimba Competition & Festival in Belgium (2013); The 3rd Italy International Percussion Festival & Competition (2016); The 1st Thailand International Percussion Festival and Competition (2019) and the World Percussion Movement Competition and Festival in Italy (2019); The 2nd International Online Marimba Competition in Bari, Italy (2021); The Southern California Marimba Online International Artist Competition (2023); and The International Marimba Festiva Congress and Competition 2024-2025 (Online Rounds)/ organized by German Marimba Society.
Ms. Mimura is a Yamaha Performing Artist, and her signature mallets are available from Encore Mallets, Inc.
Since 2021, she has been a faculty member at Showa University of Music in Tokyo, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate/doctoral students. She also has been invited to universities and festivals around the world, including the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Amsterdam Conservatory, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and is actively involved in training the next generation of musicians.