Composer Kevin Lau

The music of Kimiko’s Pearl was forged from numerous conversations with my gifted collaborators—choreographer Yosuke Mino, writer Howard Reich, sound designer Aaron Tsang, as well as Christine Mori and Alexis Spieldenner, the mother-daughter duo whose family’s experience of the Japanese Canadian internment inspired this narrative. From these conversations emerged certain universal themes: love, devastation, grief, resilience, and finally, the reclamation of identity.

These were the themes that occupied me as I wrote the first bars of the ballet; three years later, they carried me to the finish line. In between, I wrestled with the challenges necessary to bring a score of this magnitude to life. Some of these challenges have roots in the ballet tradition: for example, creating a multifaceted canvas of rhythm and mood that would allow Yosuke to paint his expressive choreography, or composing themes for the Ayukawa family that could speak emotional truths beyond words. Other challenges, such as the incorporation of sound design to augment the four musicians (violin, cello, flute, harp), brought me into uncharted territory. Facilitated by Aaron Tsang, the sound design functions like an iceberg, magnifying hidden dimensions beneath the ‘surface’ of each instrument, thus mirroring the excavation of cultural, racial, and national identity that lies at the heart of this story.

Then there is Kimiko herself, a character whose journey to reconcile her past with her present makes her the embodiment of hope and multi-generational healing. This score, with its combination of modern techniques and age-old lyricism, was conceived through her eyes.

Credits

Music composed by Kevin Lau

Mariko Anraku, harp

Conrad Chow, violin

Ron Korb, Japanese and Western flutes

Rachel Mercer, cello

Executive Producer: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts

Producers: Christine Mori, Alexis Spieldenner, and Ron Korb

Sound Designer: Aaron Tsang

Recorded and mixed by: Aaron Tsang

Mastered by Ryoji Hata for Sound Essence Masters NYC

Album Design: Jeri Heiden / Smog Design, Inc.

Kimiko’s Pearl Artist Bios

Kevin Lau, composer

One of Canada's most versatile and sought-after composers, and recipient of the prestigious 2025 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, Kevin Lau has been commissioned by some of Canada's most prominent artists and ensembles. His work has been performed internationally in countries such as the USA, Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and South Korea. A prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, ballet, opera, and film music, he served as Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 2012 - 2015; to date, he has produced eight works for the TSO. He has composed three original ballets for companies including the National Ballet of Canada (Le Petit Prince), National Arts Centre (Dark Angels), and Bravo Niagara (Kimiko's Pearl).

His music can be found on 13 commercial recordings, and his seven string quartets have been championed globally by internationally renowned ensembles such as the Viano, Poiesis, Tesla, Dior, and Afiara Quartets. Kevin's debut album Under a Veil of Stars features exclusively his chamber music (performed by the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio), and in 2025 was nominated for a JUNO award for Best Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble).

Kevin's creative output, often inspired by the fantastical lens of childhood, is unified by a fascination with flow, and the search for deep connections amidst surface diversity - connections that serve as a metaphor for the reconciliation of seemingly fundamental differences.

Mariko Anraku, harp

As soloist, chamber, orchestral and recording artist, Mariko Anraku has enchanted audiences with her virtuosity and “manifestation of grace and elegance” (Jerusalem Post). Since her debut with the Toronto Symphony led by Sir Andrew Davis, she has been guest soloist with numerous orchestras and given recitals at major concert halls around the world. Since 1995, Mariko has held the position of Associate Principal Harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She has recorded exclusively for EMI Classics, including three solo recordings and a CD with eminent flutist Emmanuel Pahud. Mariko is a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music and the Bard College Conservatory of Music. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and an Artist’s Diploma from The Glenn Gould School in Toronto. She also studied Oriental Art History at Sophia University in Tokyo and enjoys playing community service concerts at hospitals, drug rehabilitation centers, prisons, and more. Mariko was born in Japan and moved to Canada at a young age.

Conrad Chow, violin

Canadian violinist Conrad Chow has forged a multifaceted career across two decades, distinctive in the arts industry as both a leading educator and compelling performer. He currently teaches on the faculty of the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory of Music, Canada, and is also Adjunct Professor of Violin and String Pedagogy at the University of Toronto. His debut CD, Premieres, was released in 2012 on the Cambria/Naxos label and reached the #1 spot on Nielsen Soundscan’s Classical Album Charts. “Chow shows off a nice balance between technique and musicality in a program that alternates between fireworks and sweet expressiveness” (The Toronto Star). Dr. Chow earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Indiana University, studying with Miriam Fried; his DMA is from SUNY, Stony Brook, where he studied under Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Philip Setzer. He later pursued post-doctoral work with Eduard Schmieder in Philadelphia.

Ron Korb, Japanese and Western flutes

Japanese-Canadian Grammy® Award nominee Ron Korb is a distinguished flutist and composer known for his exceptional virtuosity and versatility. He has developed a distinctive global identity, fluidly blending Asian, Jazz, Celtic, and Latin influences. Ron has earned seven Grammy certificates, including four for winning albums. He has played flute on films by directors such as Ang Lee, John Woo, Tom Hooper, Mira Nair, Robert LePage, James Ivory, and Atom Egoyan. He also played flute on a TV series with George Takei set in the US internment camps, as well as a documentary about his mother Mariko Ennyu Korb and her family’s experience during the evacuation in British Columbia called Stolen Memories. Ron represented Canada at Expo in Aichi, Japan, and the Shanghai International Arts Festival, which showcases classical music and dance, where his sold-out show was voted the audience choice. 

Rachel Mercer, cello

Described as a “pure chamber musician” (The Globe and Mail) creating “moments of pure magic” (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across five continents. Grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel is Principal Cello of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and Co-Artistic Director of the “5 at the First” Chamber Music Series. As a chamber musician, she performs with the Mercer-Park Duo, Seiler Trio and the Ironwood Quartet, and was cellist of the JUNO award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada (2008-2020), the AYR Trio (2010-2020), the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio (2020-2024), and the Aviv Quartet (2002-2010). An advocate for new Canadian music, Rachel has commissioned and premiered over 30 works for solo cello, cello and orchestra, and chamber music. She plays a 17th-century cello from Northern Italy.