Makiko Goto, born in Tokyo, Japan 1963, started playing koto with her mother at the age of nine. Since she was twelve years old she studied under Kazue Sawai and Tadao Sawai at the Sawai Koto School where she received the master degree “Shihan”.

In 1986, she moved to Hawaii (USA), where she was an instructor at the Ethnic Music Department of the University of Hawaii and established a branch of the Sawai Koto School. Since 1992, she is living in the Netherlands.

Makiko Goto is performing both traditional and contemporary music on koto, 17-string bass koto and 21-string koto. She is frequently invited to join in different ensembles and groups (duo, trio, electronic music ensemble, theatre, dance, etc) world-wide.

Since Makiko Goto is living in Europe she frequently participates in the premieres of works for koto instruments by contemporary composers. She has been collaborating with the composers Toshio Hosokawa, Makoto Shinohara, Misato Mochizuki, Bernhard Lang, Gerhard Stäbler, Miranda Driessen, Anna Mikhailova and others.

The Koto concerto compositions have been written for Makiko Goto, by Jimmy López “Varem” for the koto-solo (13-strings, 21-strings,17-strings bass koto) and orchestra; by Annette Schlünz “Blaulaub” for two soloists (recorder and bass-koto), orchestra and Live-Electronic with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Munich; and by Malika Kishino “Concerto pour koto et orchestre” with the l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

She also performed the koto concerto by Maki Ishii “GA-EI”, and “Voice of the Phoenix for Koto and Orchestra” by Neil McKay (USA) .

Her performances were recorded for international radio- and television programs and she appears on several CD´s with contemporary and traditional pieces for koto solo and/or chamber music with other instruments and voice.

2011: Muziekfestival ‘Amsterdam Virtuosi 2011′ Makiko Goto bespeelt de koto op zaterdagavond 25 juni om 20.00 uur samen met Kaoru Iwamura, tafelpiano, en met medewerking van Harrie Starreveld op shakuhachi (Japanse fluit) o.a. hedendaagse composities voor tafelpiano, koto en shakuhachi. 

2013: Makiko Goto voert samen met Kaoru Iwamura, op zondagmiddag, 13 oktober, tijdens het derde Geelvinck Pianoforte Festival, de beide winnende composities uit van 2011, voor tafelpiano en koto: Nocturne van Miranda Driessen en Shogi van Anna Mikhailova. 

Contact:

Makiko Goto

Alsemlaan 6

5582 CN Waalre

The Netherlands

Tel: 31- (0)40 22 18720

Fax: 31- (0)40 22 20210

Makiko.Goto@Planet.nl