“Piano Sanctuary” consists of only piano solo works, a change of pace from Masako’s last two albums which included ensembles. As her previous albums, “Piano Sanctuary” was produced by Will Ackerman who describes Masako as “From the first note I heard from Masako in 2011, I knew we were experiencing a musician we would be moved and inspired by. Over three CDs she has grown as a composer and player who never ceases to enthrall and amaze us.”
Masako’s style may be categorized as “New Age” or “Contemporary Instrumental,” while listeners can hear shades of sound from various types of music. Among all her influences, she counts several Windham Hill artists including Will Ackerman at the top of the list, Clare Fischer and Arturo Benedeti Michelangeli.
Born and raised in Japan, Masako was trained as a classical pianist since age four, and was already composing when she was five. She was a student of the legendary piano teacher, Ms. Yuko Yamaoka, one of the judges for the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. While performing in well-known venues in and around Tokyo, Masako worked for Yamaha Music Foundation for years as its certified instructor.
Awards:
ZMR 2012 Album of the Year “The Gathering” (a compilation album)
ZMR 2013 Best New Artist “MASAKO”
ZMR 2014 Beat Piano Album-Solo “Call of the Mountains”
Official Website: http://www.masako-music.com
CD Baby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/masako7
Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Sanctuary-Masako/dp/B075RST99K iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/piano-sanctuary/id1282831803 YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MasakoMusic
Press release by the artist