Yoko Hagino

Yoko Hagino was born and raised in Japan, where she began her piano studies at the age of 4. As a child, she performed her own compositions, which took her to Europe and the United States, including performances as a concert soloist with the Czech Symphony, the University of Southern California Symphony, Kyoto City Symphony, and Ensemble Orchestra Kanazawa. Hagino has appeared as a soloist with Osaka Century Orchestra, UMass Boston Chamber Orchestra, Key West Symphony Orchestra, White Rabbit Sinfonietta, and has also performed various piano recitals ranging from the music of Bach to contemporary repertoire. Hagino is a prize winner of the Steinway Society Piano Competition, the First International Chamber Music Competition, the All-Japan Selective Competition of the International Mozart Competition, and Chamber Music Competition of Japan.

She received her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees with honors from Tokyo National University, where she won its concerto competition. She earned an Artist Diploma from the Longy School of Music, where she studied with Victor Rosenbaum and also won the school’s concerto competition. Hagino completed a Performance Diploma at Boston Conservatory, where she was a student of Michael Lewin and also received the Churchill Scholarship.

She has been invited to play at the Bösendorfer Piano Recital Series in Tokyo, Japan, the Harvard Musical Association, Boston Steiner Hall, the Killington Music Festival, the Boston Conservatory New Music festival, the William Kapell Music Festival, and at Steinway and Sons in Kamen, Germany. She also has appeared live on Suisse Romande Radio in Switzerland.

As a devoted chamber musician, she is the Co–Director of “Die Musiker Witz,” and has given many concerts in various locations in Japan. She has performed with contemporary ensembles such as White Rabbit during their Ensemble Residency at Harvard University, Alea III, Ludovico Ensemble, ENSEMBLE / PARALLAX, and Sound Icon. She has been a staff pianist at the Boston Conservatory and is a faculty member of Concord Conservatory, The Key West Young Artist Program, and Morgan State University Summer Opera Workshop in Baltimore.

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Albums

Unseen Paths

Release Date: June 14, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6633
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Clarinet
Flute
Voice
Navona Records is pleased to present UNSEEN PATHS, a variegated collection of works by late composer Lawrence K. Moss. Well known for his diverse musical oeuvre spanning vocal, instrumental, and electronic works, UNSEEN PATHS shows us a deeper look into his mastery in the chamber music genre, from flute and piano duos to music for string quartet, operas, and more. As a valediction to a remarkable career, this collection is a timeless tribute to Moss' enduring legacy, inviting listeners to savor the depth and brilliance of his artistic voice.

Turning Point

Release Date: May 10, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6620
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Electroacoustic
Flute
Voice
Ferdinando DeSena’s TURNING POINT is an experimental odyssey, an enticing collection of music that reimagines the timbres of familiar instruments like flute, piano, the human voice, and more. The title piece uses the audio synthesis technique called “convolution” in which musical audio samples are digitally joined with the sound of cymbal strikes and crashes to dramatic effect. In Sonorous Earth, DeSena conducts a different sort of experiment, this time by scoring for all the lower relatives of a woodwind quintet. An impressive tour de force, TURNING POINT leaves listeners with an expanded sense of what is possible in the realm of chamber music.
Shards

Shards

Release Date: August 11, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6549
21st Century
Chamber
Flute
Piano
Violin
Sarah Wallin Huff returns to Navona Records with SHARDS, a wide variety of compositions that explore life, love, death, and the philosophy and mysticism that make up the in-betweens. True to the unique identity of Wallin Huff’s admirable body of work, the compositions building SHARDS structure themselves around brilliantly original frameworks while also delivering a philosophical, thoughtful structure to the album. Wallin Huff sufficiently and spectacularly elaborates upon her identity as a self-described “stream-of-consciousness composer” in this contemplative and explorative journey, a comprehensive album sure to make waves with its mystical nature.
Voices of Earth and Air Vol V

Voices of Earth and Air Vol V

Release Date: August 25, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6538
21st Century
Vocal Music
Choir
Piano
Voice
Navona Records presents VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR VOL V, a dynamic album showcasing the human voice and the powerful storytelling capabilities that vocal music wields. Six contemporary composers from around the world offer breathtaking works that stir the senses in this release, from hauntingly beautiful ballads to uplifting choral arrangements and climactic moments of triumph. With intimate settings of the human voice with instrumental accompaniment, full-fledged choir works, and everything in between, the composers and performers on VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR VOL V deliver unique and impactful moments that are sure to strike a chord.

Old & New Poetry Vol II

Release Date: November 11, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6474
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Clarinet
Piano
Voice
Composer Carl Vollrath and Navona Records presents OLD & NEW POETRY VOL II, a compelling musical-literary experience featuring the works of seminal poet William Blake and contemporary writer John Gracen Brown. An enticing follow-up to his 2021 release of the same title, Vollrath employs piano and clarinet with various vocal ranges in this recording, each an intimate setting reflecting his close relationship with the text itself. Deeply in tune to nature and captured from the lens of the human experience, Vollrath’s musical response to this poetic language shows his dedication to and passion for these works.

Toccata Miami

Release Date: June 10, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6433
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
Piano
Violin
Composer Ferdinando DeSena is no stranger to variation; from his previous electro-acoustic concoctions to this dynamic blend of chamber orchestrations in TOCCATA MIAMI, a world of enticing conversation between tonal opposites begs to be uncovered in these expressive compositions. Oboe and piano dance in an ominous sonata soundscape, harps and flutes seek to sooth in Three Attitudes, and solo piano works shine with a latin flair in the album’s titular track.

Old & New Poetry

Release Date: June 11, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6342
21st Century
Vocal Music
Clarinet
Saxophone
Voice
Carl Vollrath’s OLD AND NEW POETRY from Navona Records is a lovingly-prepared setting of the works of seminal poets William Blake and Sara Teasdale, as well as the contemporary writer John Gracen Brown. The verses chosen by Vollrath—including such varied selections as Blake’s “The Fly,” Teasdale’s “Dusk In War Time,” and Brown’s “The Coming of a Summer Rainstorm”—all reflect the composer’s belief in the interdependency of all life on earth. Employing piano, saxophone, and mezzo-soprano, Vollrath thoughtfully pushes tonal boundaries in response to the poetic language.

Musical Images for Piano

Release Date: March 9, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6144
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Composer Mark John McEncroe's latest album MUSICAL IMAGES FOR PIANO presents a theater of the mind, performed with a delicacy that is both melancholic and nostalgic. Rather than attempting to shatter musical boundaries, McEncroe focuses on the introspective, letting the listener’s stories and memories give the music its own unique life.

Lingering Longings, Music for Clarinet and Piano Vol. 2

Release Date: January 8, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6018
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Piano
Considered by American Record Guide as a composer who “approaches his pieces with respect and care,” Carl Vollrath presents the second volume of his clarinet and piano works on Navona Records, LINGERING LONGINGS: MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND PIANO VOL. 2. Expanding upon the first release in this collection, PAST RECOLLECTIONS: MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND PIANO VOL. 1, the composer continues to celebrate past events through musical narratives, tenderly and radiantly performed by clarinetist Michael Norsworthy and pianist Yoko Hagino.

Past Recollections

Release Date: February 10, 2015
Catalog Number: NV5988
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Piano
The stories we tell, stemming from our experiences of people, places, and events, reveal how we understand and express the world around us. Composer Carl Vollrath presents works for clarinet and piano which depict his interpretations of past events and tones of past composers, oftentimes conveying them through ironic and spirited musical themes.