Pianist loves Jackson visits
German native performed here before but will be making symphony debut

By Mary Barber, Jackson Citizen Patroit, Staff Writer
Sunday, March 6, 2005
 

 Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka is the soloist for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra on Saturday
If you go...
  • Who: Jackson Symphony Orchestra, "Destination: England"
  • When: 8:00 p.m. Saturday, February 5, 2005
  • Where: Sheffer Music Hall, Potter Center, Jackson Community College, 2111 Emmons Road.
  • Tickets: $15-$26  Call 517-782-4133
 
Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka is playing with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra for the first time next weekend.

But Jackson itself is familiar to the 28-year-old native of Germany; she is married to Robert Douglass, whose father, Ron, teaches at Jackson Community College and plays trombone with the JSO.

She first performed in Jackson with the Jackson Community Concert Band in 2000, and she's been hoping to make her visits and performances here more regular.

"I auditioned for Stephen Osmond (JSO conductor) a year and a half ago," she said.

"We'd like to foster a long-term relationship with the city," said her husband.

They reside in Bonn, after having met at Indiana University in 1997, when Kimiko and her brothers were artists-in-residence. The Ishizaka Trio was a well-known group in Europe in the 1990s.

Kimiko began playing piano at age 4 and performed in her first concert at age 5. She left the family group four years ago to write her own method of teaching piano and started her solo career two years ago. She's thinking of making a solo recording of Shubert sonatas this year.

"He's my favorite composer since I was 8, so I feel there's a very deep connection."

But there won't be any Shubert on Saturday's program.

  She said she played a Rachmaninoff concerto for Osmond when she auditioned, but he asked her to perform Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A minor" for this concert, which has a Scandinavian theme. The rest of the program includes Sibelius' "Symphony No. 2" and Nielson's "Overture to Masquerade."

"I think it's really wonderful," Kimiko said. "It has that very deep, passionate expression that I love. And a lot of harmonic things that I like."

She already has played the piece once for Osmond, when she and Robert came to Jackson early in January. Osmond made a few suggestions, and they worked out some cues, she said. She'll also get to rehearse with the JSO a couple of times, she said.

But coming in and working with strangers doesn't faze her.

"A very important attribute is flexibility," she said. "Some conductors try to force their ideas on your playing, and that's really bad news. ... I'm happy Steve Osmond is so easy to work with. I just really like him as a person."

She said she doesn't do a lot of research on the historical or biographical context of a composition; her education provides enough background.

"I believe in music speaking for itself," she said. "I enjoy finding my own deep expression."

-- Reach reporter Mary Barber at 768-4971 or mbarber@citpat.com.

 

© 2005 Jackson Citizen Patriot.
All rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission