Biographical Info

Megumi Masaki is a concert pianist and multimedia artist. The innovation and breadth of her artistic activity, dynamic temperament and ‘riveting and mind-expanding’ performances have earned her a reputation as a leading interpreter of contemporary music. She specializes in exploring how sound, image, text and movement can be integrated in multimedia works. Masaki frequently collaborates with composers, visual artists, writers and choreographers on multi-disciplinary projects involving new technologies to expand and re-contextualize how concert works for the piano are created, performed and received. Numerous piano, multimedia (piano + interactive and fixed electronics + video + text + movement + unconventional instruments) and chamber works have been composed for Megumi, and she has premiered over 70 works worldwide.

Megumi is featured at major festivals and venues around the world, including the Barbican’s Sound Unbound Festival (London UK), Shanghai New Music Festival (China,) Dark Music Days Festival (Reykjavik, Iceland), De Doelen in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) (Paris), Sonorities Festival (Belfast), Bangor Music Festival (St Andrews, Scotland) and many others in Canada as well like the Winnipeg New Music Festival, JUNOfest Classical Showcase, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, and the National Art Gallery Ottawa. Megumi is a member of the interdisciplinary Noiseborder Ensemble and Slingshot-Kidõ, the Artistic Director of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, and faculty for piano and chamber music at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy. In addition to being a performer, Masaki is Professor of Piano, director of the New Music Ensemble and New Music Festival at Brandon University. She is invited to give masterclasses at universities worldwide and her success in teaching was recognized with the 2010 Brandon University Alumni Association’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.