Application Process now open for the Sixth Annual Keiko Abe International Marimba Academy in Japan

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha Corporation of America, Band and Orchestral Division, is pleased to announce that the application process is now open for the Sixth Annual Keiko Abe International Marimba Academy in Japan, which will take place in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday July 31-August 4, 2011. For more information and to download the application, please visit: http://www.yamaha.co.jp/event/marimba/english/

Renowned for her virtuosic marimba artistry, Ms. Keiko Abe is a professor emeritus at Toho Gakuen School of Music (Toho Gakuen College Music Department). She has taught at numerous universities and institutions, and participated in more than 50 music festivals all over the world. She has been awarded a special prize six times at the Cultural Festival by Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan. In 1993, she was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

The Academy gives students the rare chance to receive direct instruction from Ms. Abe while also offering them amazing performance opportunities. Ms. Abe's lessons are unique; rather than aiming for a uniform performance, she matches her teaching to the performances of her students. These lessons are sure to fire the imagination of any potential performers. Academy participants will all have the opportunity to perform at the Yamaha Ginza Studio. A select number of students will be invited to play at the Academy's Final Concert held in the Yamaha Hall.

Open to percussion students of all levels, the Academy is limited to 10 participants and 70 auditors. Students may apply as a duo. The application deadline is May 31, 2011. Students chosen to participate will be notified by Friday, June 10, 2011.

For more information on the Academy, please visit: http://www.yamaha.co.jp/event/marimba/english/.

For more information on Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, e-mail infostation@yamaha.com or visit http://usa.yamaha.com.