is a prolific Japanese
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
. Hailed as a musician of "New Age Music",
her piano style is light easy listening and her works are sometimes heard on television in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
even with her appearance in television commercials and fashion magazines thanks to her stunning looks.
She has a following in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and Singapore.
In her performances, she usually changes her clothing according to the music she performs
and keeps the stage presentation to "a bare minimum".
Her hobbies are enjoying herbal teas, fragrant baths
and swimming.
History
Nishimura began playing the piano at age 4
with
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:
People
* Torakusu Yamaha, a Japanese businessman and founder of the Yamaha Corporation
Companies
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organi ...
,
being inspired by her mother.
At age 8, she began touring to Europe, the United States,
Taiwan and Thailand.
During her teenage years, she performed with the
NHK Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and the Washington National Orchestra
She later studied at the
Toho Gakuen School of Music
is a private university, private music school in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan.
History
Toho Gakuen was founded in 1948 in Ichigaya (Tokyo) as the Music School for Children, and two years later moved to Sengawa (current address at Wakabacyo, Chōfu-shi, ...
and was selected to perform at a recital with then-
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
Naruhito
Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...
.
A few years later,
she would also have a piano duet with Naruhito.
In 1986, she released her first album, ''Angelique''.
In 1991, Nishimura composed six pieces for the drama series
101 Proposals,
including a piano solo of the theme song Say Yes, originally written and performed by
Chage & Aska.
Also in 1991, she performed at the Bratislava Lyre Festival in Czechoslovakia and awarded the Slovakia Radio Special Award for most musical performance.
One of her 1991 albums, Vi Ji N, is about the "myriad things in life which people find appealing".
In 1996, she released her newest album, Virgin, which described her feelings after 10 years of performing.
The album sold over 10,000 copies in Singapore.
Later, she released her next album, Blue Virgin, inspired by her interest in Chinese pop since 1991, are rearrangements of songs by Asian artists such as Chan,
Faye Wong
Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; pinyin: ''Wáng Fēi''; born 8 August 1969) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and actress. Early in her career, she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong (). Born in Beijing, she moved to British Hong Kong at the age o ...
and
Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential artists in the Greater China region, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture. He ...
with the only original original piece in the album being the title track.
Discography
* ''Angelique'' (1986)
* ''Lyrisme'' (1987)
* ''Dolce'' (1988)
* ''Fascination'' (1988)
* ''Lumiere ～地図のない季節～'' (1989) : playin' around with no map and plot
* ''L'espoir ～レスポワール～'' (1989)
* ''風色の夢'' (1990) : (Wind's Rain)
* ''Vi・Ji・N'' (1991):
sophisticated girl
* 101回目のプロポーズ (1991) : ("101 Proposal")
* MOON (1992)
* 親愛なる者へ (1992)
* SUPER BEST (1992)
* プロポーズ ～Propose～ (1992)
* graceful (1993)
* GOOD MORNING ～グッドモーニング～ (1994)
* Memories (Released in Hong Kong only) (1995)
* 時の輝き (1995)
* Virgin (1995)
* Blue Horizon (1996)
* 月いろのつばさ (1997)
* 大地のうた (1998)
* BALLISTIC KISS (1998)
* 自分への手紙 (1999)
* 風が生まれる瞬間 (2000)
* 優しさの意味 (2001)
* しあわせまでもう少し (2002)
* 明日のために (2002)
* 扉をあけよう (2003)
* 君が想い出になる前に (2004)
* しあわせのかたち (2004)
* 耳をすまして (2005)
* Best of Best ～20 Songs～ (2006)
* あなたが輝くとき (2007)
* Vitamin (2009)
* Piano (2010)
* Smile Best ～selfcover collection～ (2011/7)
* Beautiful Morning (2011/7) (yccs10049)
* Bedtime Music (2011/7) (yccs10050)
* フレデリック・バック meets 西村由紀江 (2012)
* ビオトープ (2013)
References
External links
Yukie Nishimura Official Website
1967 births
21st-century Japanese composers
Japanese women composers
Japanese pianists
Living people
New-age pianists
People from Toyonaka, Osaka
Toho Gakuen School of Music alumni
21st-century Japanese pianists
21st-century Japanese women pianists
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