Known for her unique daring performances where she often combines multi-disciplines/genres and media, Sarah Infini Takagi has emerged as an original thinker, creator, and performer who is unafraid to redefine, reinvent, and expand the concept of music, identity, and performance in the context of innovation and her spiritual practice.
Coming from generations of Samurai warriors and Christian ministers, Sarah is dedicated to the fire and healing gifts of the Spirit in the creative realm. Through her often provocative, innovative programming, presentation, and performances, she cuts through dull, lifeless traditions, labels, and categories thereby awakening and enlivening the audience to realize the potential for more fresh, spirited, authentic performance.
Hailed as "Liberating, fluent, fun to watch" by the New York Times, Sarah Infini Takagi is an award-winning pianist who has performed at Carnegie Recital Hall, Kennedy Center, and 92nd Y as well as on Public Television, Radio, and Film. As a concerto soloist, she has performed over a dozen concerti under the batons of BSO conductors Pascal Verrot and Carl St. Clair among others. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Boston's top chamber groups, Radius, and Chameleon Ensembles as well as with her own Duo PiantiCella with Longy-Bard College faculty cellist Michael Bonner. Her solo CD “Lavender Bouquet” which offered classical music with Reiki healing energy was the Top Selling Album in 2008 at CDBaby.com
In 2014, she released “@Play” her first all-original improvisation CD recorded live from her solo show with guest artist singer Sarah Rogo. As an improviser, she has performed on piano and synthesizers with singers, dancers, mime, and yoga dancers, as well as with interactive fractal images on the screen. Her video featuring her multidisciplinary collaboration with established performing artists C. Neil Parsons and Greg Jukes where they improvised between piano, drums, and dance; was recently recognized by the international performing arts organization, HAIKARA ART as an outstanding work of art by a Nikkei artist. In recent years, she has found herself as an improviser beyond her first instrument; improvising as a dancer, actress, singer, and clown.
Most recently, she has become a popular speaker on the topic of improvisation where she gave a presentation on the topic of Classical Improvisation to NEPTA, as well as for the Music Teachers’ Association of California, and Opus 119 Conservatory in Los Angeles, CA. Most recently, She was invited as a guest lecturer on the topic of Improvisation, Comedy, and Jazz at her alma mater, New England Conservatory College Piano Performance Seminar.
In recent years, she has emerged as a composer whose works range from pop songs, and classical piano pieces, to recompositions of Beethoven, original cadenzas, and most recently original music for a live puppet show and a short film. The commissioned solo piano piece “Ocean Voices” premiered at Roy Barnett Hall at the University of British Columbia for the planetary healing conference in 2014. Her folk-pop song "We Are Infinite" which featured her own young students with original choreography, has become one of the most popular videos on her YouTube Channel. She has also become known for her re-compositions of classical music, most recently recomposed sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart as well as original cadenzas to Beethoven concertos. Most recently, she collaborated with a well-known puppeteer and actress Charlotte Anne Dore on her live show "Ghosts from Christmas Past”, where she composed the original soundtrack. Around the same time, she received a commission to write original music for a short modern dance film, Baby Dance. In addition to performing her original works, she teaches improvisation and composition where her students improvise and perform their original works at SMG recitals. The students are encouraged to compose freely in a wide range from piano pieces to electronic music, original songs, duets, and concerti to performance art. Her composition students along with her piano students have gone on to win top prizes in local and national competitions.
For her bio as a Jazz vocalist, actress, and comedian, please go to her website www.sarahinfinitakagi.com.
BM, MM, DMA ( Studies) at New England Conservatory of Music with highest honors and distinction.
Tourjee Prize, Janet Gates Peckham International Prize. Haikara Artist International Prize. Winner of Beethoven, Messiaen, competitions among others. Piano studies with Nelita True, Wha Kyung Byun. Improvisation with Ran Blake, Jeffrey Goldberg. Chamber Music with Louis Krasner. Jazz Studies with Panayota Haloulakou and Lefteris Kordis. Dalcroze with Lisa Parker. Theater and Clowning with Marty Levin, ImprovBoston. Actor's Workshop with Charlotte Anne Dore.
Former Chair, Piano Department, Wellesley College
Visit the link below to find more information about Sarah's new course: Let's Improv Classical