Kyoko Kitamura
Kyoko Kitamura is a vocal improviser and composer residing in New York City.
Background
Kitamura was born in New York City and raised partially in Tokyo. She studied piano at the Juilliard School of Music pre-college division but later chose to become a TV reporter with Fuji Television, a national network in Japan and was based in Paris for many years as their French news correspondent.
After quitting her job, she moved back to NYC in 1997, worked as a freelance magazine writer for a few years before getting back into music after a hiatus of close to 15 years. Unusual for a vocalist, she honed craft as a sideperson-vocalist with NYC musicians such as bassist Reggie Workman, saxophonist Steve Coleman, cornet player Taylor Ho Bynum, among others.
She currently works with saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton as one of his vocalists and as the director of communication for his organization, the Tri-Centric Foundation. Mostly recently, she appears on three Anthony Braxton albums: 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012, Trillium E (Braxton’s first-ever studio-recorded opera) and his Syntactical Ghost Trance Choir (all from New Braxton House Records).
Discography
Discography includes Anthony Braxton's Trillium E (New Braxton House 2011) and 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012 (New Braxton House 2014), Taylor Ho Bynum's Madeleine Dreams (Firehouse 12 Records 2009), Jamie Baum's Solace (Sunnyside Records 2008), Laura Andel Orchestra's Somnambulist (Red Toucan Records 2003), Laura Andel Electric Percussive Orchestra's In::tension:.(Rossbin Records October 2005), Steve Coleman's Lucidarium (Label Bleu 2004), and Ras Moshe's Live Spirits 2 & 4 (Utech Records).
Have performed and/or recorded with
Laura Andel Orchestra, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Steve Coleman, Yayoi Ikawa, Mark Lamb, Art Lande, Russ Lossing, William Parker, Jim Staley, Reggie Workman, and others.