Sumie Kaneko

Born in Chiba, Japan. Sumie started playing koto at age of five. Her career started in 1995 as a winner of the Takasaki International Competition in Koto performance. In 2002 after graduating from Tokyo National University of the Arts, Sumie moved to Boston and studied

Jazz vocal at Berklee College of Music. She has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Blue Note NY, TED talk, Google, Getty Center, Boston Ballet, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

She is renowned for her ability to collaborate with a diverse array of visionary international artists and writers: Pulitzer Winner Paula Vogel, composer Evan Ziporyn, taiko artist Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe, and tabla player Tanmoy Bose and more. In 2021, she performed shamisen solo for American Ballet Theater’s season opening with the principal dancers, Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside.

Sumie tours overseas as a cultural exchange artist. She has performed in over 20 countries and has worked closely with the Embassy of Japan. In India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, she has visited many non-profit organizations for street children to encourage future education. In 2018, she expanded her career in Europe, and 2022 September, she is scheduled to perform in Hungary, and Serbia. 

Also as an educator, she has lectured at large academic scenes including: Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, and Aoyama Gakuin University as a renowned international artist. Her passion is always towards original and new compositions, as Sumie has released two albums. Second album Dead of the Night (available on iTunes) has been well received for her unique and exquisite sounds.