Opus Orchestra presents Ahead of the Game

Yoshiko Tsuruta, marimba player with Opus Orchestra. Photograph by Andrew Warner.

NOT a lot of Kiwis know what the marimba is, much less its role in classical music.

People associate the marimba with the traditional African marimba, says Yoshiko Tsuruta, which is often an activity children learn.

"Oh, my child plays that," Yoshiko says when she tells people what she does.

She has to explain what the instrument is - a concert marimba is completely different from African marimba or xylophone.

For one thing, a concert marimba is three metres long. It is a percussion instrument with double rows of wooden bars and resonators which amplify its sound.

Yoshiko is bringing the unique sound of classical marimba to Tauranga as the soloist at Opus Orchestra's concert Ahead of the Game at the end of the month.

Yoshiko wants to educate Kiwis and promote the often unheard-of instrument which adds a new quality to classical music.

"In New Zealand there is no demand for it. The marimba is not really used often as an orchestra element, more in modern music. I want people to experience it."

Yoshiko can play any percussion instrument but her favourite is the marimba. It has a very physical element it to.

"As you can see, it is very long and I am constantly moving," she says (she has the forearm and bicep muscles to show for it).

"I move so much, it's probably the biggest playing area of an instrument. The reach is much bigger so you have to move, it is quite a unique thing to watch, people like it."

The audience soon get a feel for the instrument and know when the notes are going to be high or lower. Yoshiko cleverly manoeuvres two "mallets" in both hands throughout her performances. Impressive footwork as well as precise co-ordination is vital.

"It can be very energetic but it can also produce a very soft mellow sound, which you wouldn't think it would," she says.

The marimbist is from Hiroshima, Japan. She studied at the New Zealand School of Music and completed her masters degree at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz, Austria, before moving back to New Zealand in 2013 when partner Justus Rozemond became BOP Symphonia's music director.

Yoshiko is trained in percussion music. She began learning the marimba in Japan at age 9.

A piano player from age 3, Yoshiko swapped interests when her new piano teacher was an enthusiastic marimba player. It soon became her favourite instrument.

She is looking forward to the concert. "I am very excited to play this concerto by Gareth Farr - I've always enjoyed both playing and listening to his music. The work demands immediate attention with its rhythmic energy, and there will be plenty of visual intrigue as the music has been specifically written for the extended range of my marimba."

What: Opus Orchestra - Ahead of the Game
When: Saturday, September 29, 3pm
Where: Graham Young Youth Theatre
Tickets: www.orchestras.org.nz