Baltimore, MD (October 22, 2001) -- UMBC's Department of Music presents clarinetist E. Michael Richards in a program of contemporary music, entitled The Clarinet of the 21st Century. He will be joined by guest artist pianist Kazuko Tanosaki.

The Program
The program will include Street Cries (1983) for solo microtonal clarinet by Drake Mabry (b. 1951), Aquatic Aura (1997) by Akira Nishimura (b. 1953), Junction III (1990) by Masao Honma (b. 1930), Monolog (1983) by Isang Yun (1917-1998), and My Language (1997) by P. Q. Phan (b. 1962).

Biography
As a recitalist of new music, E. Michael Richards has premiered over 125 works throughout the United States, Japan, Australia, and Western Europe. Trained as a clarinetist at the New England Conservatory (B.Mus.) and Yale School of Music (M.Mus.), Richards earned a Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego. He received a 1990 U.S./Japan Creative Artist Fellowship (sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission, and Japanese Government Cultural Agency) as a solo recitalist for a six-month residency in Japan, an NEH Summer Fellowship to study traditional Japanese music, and a residency grant (Cassis, France) from the Camargo Foundation to complete a book, The Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century. Richards has performed as concerto soloist with the Syracuse Symphony and Shinsei Japan Philharmonic (Tokyo), in chamber music performances with the Cassatt Quartet, Ying Quartet, SONOR, and the East-West Quartet, and in recital at eight international festivals and more than 20 universities, as well as at Lincoln Center, the Guggenheim Museum (New York), the American Academy in Rome, and the Tokyo American Center. He has also performed as a member of the Tanosaki-Richards Duo (with pianist Kazuko Tanosaki) since 1982. Richards has recorded on the NEUMA, Mode, CRI, Ninewinds, and Opus One labels. He has taught at Smith College; the University of California, San Diego; Bowdoin College; Hamilton College; and the Hochstein Music School in Rochester, New York; and completed short terms with Kazuko Tanosaki as visiting artists in residence at the University of Massachusetts, CNMAT (Center for New Music and Audio Technologies), at the University of California Berkeley, and San Jose State University. Richards and Tanosaki have also organized three international symposia on contemporary Japanese music, and one on contemporary Asian-American music. He joins UMBC this year as a member of the music faculty.

Kazuko Tanosaki, pianist
Born in Japan and educated at the Kunitachi College of Music, Kazuko Tanosaki received an M.A. in piano under full scholarship from the University of California, San Diego. She studied piano with Kazuko Abe, Cecil Lytle, Jean-Charles François, Frederick Marvin, and Natalya Antonova. Ms. Tanosaki was a first prize winner in the 1982 La Jolla Orchestra Young Artist Competition (San Diego). She has served as a lecturer in music (piano) at Hamilton College, and working toward a D.M.A. in piano performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music. Ms. Tanosaki has presented solo recitals throughout Japan, Europe, and the United States, including performances at the 1989 Piano Panorama of Twentieth Century Music in Rotterdam, Holland, the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France, the Civic Center in San Diego, California, and Lemoyne College in Syracuse, New York. She recently performed Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto with Peter Rubhardt and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, and as a guest artist with I Musici de Montréal.

Admission
General admission: $7.00.
Students and seniors: $3.00.
Admission is free to holders of a current UMBC ID.

Telephone and web
General Music information: (410) 455-2942
UMBC Artsline (24 hour recorded message): (410) 455-ARTS
Media inquiries only: (410) 455-3370
UMBC Arts Calendar: http://www.umbc.edu/arts
UMBC News Releases: http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/oci/index.phtml?r=Art
Department of Music: http://www.umbc.edu/music
E. Michael Richards: http://www.umbc.edu/music/site/faculty/richards.html

Directions
--From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
--From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile to the entrance of UMBC at the roundabout intersection of Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road. Turn left and follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
--From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.

Daytime metered visitor parking is available in Lot 10, near the Administration Building. Visitor parking regulations are enforced on all University calendar days. Hilltop Circle and all campus roadways require a parking permit unless otherwise marked.
Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/

Images for Media
E. Michael Richards image: www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/richards.jpg
High resolution images for media are available online: http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/ or by email or postal mail.