Mieko Inoue

Mieko Inoue will:

• Be a member of the jury for the Chief Musician Competition,
• Perform in the Harps of the Orient Concert - Thursday 24 April, 7.30pm.
• Masterclass - Saturday 26 April at 10.00am.

One of the leading harpists and harp teachers in Japan, Mieko Inoue began her musical training at the age of four on the piano, and started to study the harp when she was eleven with Professor Josef Molnar in Tokyo.

She studied music, majored in the harp, throughout Toho School of Music high school and college, one of the most high-leveled and privileged music schools in Japan, also completed post graduated program degree.  

While at school, she began to perform as a professional harpist in orchestras in Japan and earned a lot of credit from conductors and orchestras and continued playing as a freelance player all over Japan after her graduation.  Also as an active player for contemporary music, she committed a lot of new music especially as a member of “ Art Respirant ” a group formed by players and composers.

She received special prize in Maria Korchinska International Harp Competition in 1983, the best performance prize in Fukui Harp Competition in 1992 among other various auditions and national competition prizes.  

In both 1993 and 1999, Ms. Inoue was chosen as a Japanese cultural exchange program researcher and studied with Susann McDonald, Distinguished Professor of Harp at Indiana University in the U.S where she earned performer diploma degree.  While at school she gave four recitals and performed energetically in and out of the school.

Ms Inoue has been performing numerous solo and chamber music recitals both in Japan and overseas, including a featured soloist with some of the major orchestras in Japan, a featured soloist for USA competition in 1995, and for World Harp Congress in Copenhagen, Seattle, Prague, Dublin and Vancouver.

Currently she plays as a principal harpist mainly in Yomiuri Nippon Symphony orchestra among other orchestras including Saito Kinen Orchestra leading by conductor, Seiji Ozawa, and also plays as a soloist.

As an international liaison of the Japan Harp Society and the board of director of the World Harp Congress, Ms. Inoue plays an active role in connecting Japanese harpists to the international harp world.  

She is a member of the faculties at both Toho School of Music and Ueno Gakuen Music School where she teaches a lot of young harpists with passion.