Yumi Hara biography

<short bio as performer>

Yumi Hara is a Japanese performer (piano, keys, vo, harp) based in London. As a composer, she has written pieces for Contemporary classical ensembles such as PianoCircus, Ensemble Bash and Smith Quartet, and was a finalist for British Composer Awards 2006,

but became increasingly known as an improvisor/performer in avant/experimental rock/Canterbury/RIO for her percussive piano and floating vocals since she released a CD album 'Dune' with Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine) in 2008. She has performed with Alfred Harth, Tim Hodgkinson, Fred Frith, Mani Neumeier, Jean-Hervé Péron, Zappi W. Diermaier, David Cross, David Jackson, Charles Hayward, Tatsuya Yoshida, Yoshihide Otomo, HACO, Akira Sakata, Kazutoki Umezu, and many more and released albums include: Geoff Leigh & Yumi Hara 'Upstream', Yumi Hara featuring Tatsuya Yoshida 'Statement Heels', you me & us (Daevid Allen, Chris Cutler, Yumi Hara) 'Poesy at Play', The Artaud Beats (with Geoff Leigh, Chris Cutler, John Greaves) 'Logos', and Jump for Joy! (with Jean-Herve Peron, Zappi, Chris Cutler, Geoff Leigh, Geraldine Swayne) 'Bat Pullover'. She founded Half the Sky:Music of Lindsay Cooper (with Chris Cutler, Mitsuru Nasuno, Miwazow, Wataru Okuma, Chloe Herington, Dagmar Krause) in 2015. She is senior lecturer in music at University of East London.
For more info, photos and videos:
www.yumiharacawkwell.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/yumi.cawkwell
www.youtube.com/user/Spockminder

<short bio as composer, written for Kiku Day's forthcoming CD>

Yumi Hara is a Japanese composer and performer (piano, keys, vo, harp) based in London. Her compositions have been performed by contemporary classical musicians such as the BBC Singers, PianoCircus, Michael Bonaventure and Jane Chapman, and was a finalist for British Composer Awards 2006, but became increasingly known as an improvisor/performer in avant/experimental rock/Canterbury/RIO since she released a CD album 'Dune' with Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine) in 2008, subsequently formed bands and projects including The Artaud Beats (with Chris Cutler, John Greaves, Geoff Leigh, all from Henry Cow), you me & us (with Daevid Allen of Gong, Chris Cutler), Half the Sky/Lindsay Cooper Songbook (with Chris Cutler, Tim Hodgkinson, Dagmar Krause, Chloe Herington, Mitsuru Nasuno), Jump for Joy! (with Jean-Hervé Péron, Zappi and Geraldine Swayne of faUSt, Chris Cutler, Geoff Leigh) and THE WATTS (with Tim Hodgikinson, Chris Cutler). She is senior lecturer in music at University of East London.
www.yumiharacawkwell.co.uk

<short bio written for CPAD website (Centre for Performing Arts Development, UEL)

Yumi Hara Cawkwell is composer and improviser (keyboard and voice). She was a member of board of directors of JASMIM (The Japanese Association for the Study of Musical Improvisation) (2013-16), and a member of judging panel of the British Composer Award 2018 (British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors). Her compositions have been performed by contemporary classical ensembles such as the BBC Singers and PianoCircus, and she has performed and recorded with numerous avant-rock musicians such as Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), Daevid Allen (Gong), Chris Cutler, Tim Hodgkinson, John Greaves, Geoff Leigh and Dagmar Krause (Henry Cow), Jean-Hervé Péron and Zappi (Faust). 

<short bio written for a performance at Schema/Skima exhibition, updated 18 July 2014>

Yumi Hara studied medicine at University of Tsukuba and worked as a psychiatrist before she moved to London in 1993. She studied music at City University and gained BMus and PhD (composition). She is senior lecturer and programme leader for Music Performance and Production at University of East London, and a member of board of directors of JASMIM (The Japanese Association for the Study of Musical Improvisation). As a composer, she has written pieces for Piano Circus, OKEANOS, Delta Saxophone Quartet and Michael Bonaventure among others, and she was SPNM (Society of Promotion for New Music, currently Sound and Music) shortlist composer in 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. As a performer/improviser (keyboard and voice), she has released CDs including Dune with Hugh Hopper (MOONJUNE, 2008), Upstream with Geoff Leigh (MOONJUNE, 2009) and solo album Statement Heels (Bonobo’s Ark, 2011), and LP Sonic Rituals with Guy Harries (Migro, 2014). Her current main activities are The Artaud Beats (with Geoff Leigh, Chris Cutler, John Greaves), you me & us (with Daevid Allen and Chris Cutler), and duo with Guy Harries.

Short bio for written Avantgarde Festival 2014

I am a Japanese musician based in London. I was a tour member of Frank Chickens in the ‘90s and I used to be a composer for contemporary classical performers such as Piano Circus, Jane Chapman, OKEANOS among others. Since I recorded a CD with Hugh Hopper in 2008, I became seriously active in performing improvisation based on avant-rock aesthetics. In 2009, I came to AvandGarde Festival with Geoff Leigh to play as a duo, there I met Chris Cutler and John Greaves and four of us decided to play together and that was the beginning of the Artaud Beats.