Kumiko Shimizu
Kumiko Shimizu, professor of music and collaborative pianist at Delta State University, has played for several competitions (including National Opera Association, District Metropolitan, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and North American Saxophone Alliance Region 6 Undergraduate Classical Solo Competition) and has been invited to perform at the College Music Society International/National/Regional Conferences, American Choral Directors Association Conferences, National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Region Conferences, Mid-South Flute Society Festival, Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, and William Bennett Summer Flute Academy, among others.
In teaching, her primary interests are in collaborative piano, vocal coaching, and stage directing. She was selected to receive further training in vocal collaborative piano/coaching from Graham Johnson and Martin Katz (SongFest, U.S.A.), Malcolm Martineau (Malcolm Martineau Masterclass, Scotland), Hartmut Höll (German Lied Masterclass, Finland), and Matteo Dalle Fratte (Veneto Opera Summer School, Italy). To study stage directing, she was invited to attend the Opera Viva! Professional Development program in Verona, Italy. At DSU, she teaches collaborative piano, directs and provides vocal coaching for opera workshop, and has team-taught in the voice area by co-organizing several projects, such as Japanese Song Recital and Staged Art Song Recital. She has presented seminars and master classes at various venues, including at Sungkyul University in South Korea during the SU-DSU Piano Exchange Program in 2017.
As a director/vocal coach for the opera workshop, her accomplishments include: (1) The selection as one of the finalists in the Musical Theatre Division for the 2019 National Opera Association Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition, (2) A student’s participation in a masterclass (by invitation) presented by Dr. Howard Watkins, an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, during the 2020 National Opera Association Conference.
She co-edited with Dr. Mutsumi Moteki Japanese Art Song Anthology Volumes 1 & 2 (High Voice, Medium/Low Voice) published by Classical Vocal Reprints. During summer 2021, she co-presented with Dr. Moteki sessions on the anthology at the virtual Summer Workshop for National Association of Teachers of Singing and one of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Webinar Series, Songs for All Voices.
As a member of National Opera Association, she serves on the Pianists and Conductors Collaborative Initiative Committee.
She has received these awards: James Ronald Brothers Distinguished Achievement in Collaborative Piano Award (National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Region, 2014), Favorite Professor Award (Mu Phi Epsilon-Gamma Zeta Chapter, 2015), Second Place – Instrumental Performance, Professional Division (American Prize, 2016), and JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowship (National Opera Association, 2018).