Ayano Kataoka
PercussionThe first percussionist to join CMS’s Bowers Program, Ayano Kataoka is known for her brilliant technique and the distinctive elegance and imagination she brings to her performances. With cellist Yo-Yo Ma, she gave the world premiere of Bruce Adolphe’s Self Comes to Mind, and she has presented a solo recital on the B to C (Bach to Contemporary) series at Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall. Additional highlights include Steven Mackey’s Micro-Concerto at Alice Tully Hall; Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat at 92nd Y with violinist Jaime Laredo and actors Alan Alda and Noah Wyle; and Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion at CMS with pianists Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki. Ms. Kataoka is a full professor of percussion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received the 2023–24 Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series honor and the Chancellor’s Medal. She has also served as a visiting professor at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and on the faculty of Yellow Barn and the So Percussion Summer Institute.