Haruka Fuji

Haruka Fujii (Japanese: 藤井 はるか - Fujii Haruka) is a classical multi-percussionist and marimbist. She has premiered works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Akira Miyoshi, and Maki Ishii, and has often collaborated with composer Tan Dun, performing his Water Percussion Concerto, Paper Percussion Concerto, and opera Tea the world over. She has appeared as a soloist with the Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nationale de Lyon, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of Flexible Music and the Line C3 Percussion Group, two New York based ensembles that actively commission new compositions from young composers. Born in Saitama, Japan, Ms. Fujii began her musical studies on the piano at the age of three. Influenced by her mother, the marimbist Mutsuko Fujii, she became interested in percussion instruments. She studied music at the Tokyo National University, the Juilliard School (where she was recipient of the Avedis Zildijian Scholarship Award), and the Mannes College of Music. Fujii directs the percussion department at the University of Connecticut, and has been a guest instructor and competition judge at several international percussion festivals. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.