Misuzu Tanaka

A native of England and Japan, Misuzu Tanaka moved to the United States in 1999, and studied at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Martin Canin. Her postgraduate studies took place with a full schorlaship at the University of Michigan where she studied with Logan Skelton and chamber music with Christopher Harding. She was a member of Trio La Vita, which, in 2009, won second prize at the Rutenberg Chamber Music Competition in addition to prizes for the best interpretation of a work from the Classical period and of a work by John Ireland. Fluent in a wide repertory, Misuzu has a special affinity for the music and culture of Eastern Europe, and considers the Czech Republic to be a “home away from home.” She won first prize in the Poland Music Festival Competition in 2007, and honorable mention in the International Janáček Competition in 2008. In 2009, she presented a recital in Plzeň, Czech Republic, as part of the Steinway Recital Series in the Měšťanská Beseda. Misuzu received her doctorate degree in piano performance at the University of Michigan in May, 2011, where her dissertation recitals focused on the works of Janáček, Robert Schumann, and J.S. Bach. In July, 2011, she became Resident Pianist and Co-Artistic Director of the Garth Newel Music Center.