Noriko Futagami Herndon

Noriko Futagami Herndon

  Noriko Futagami Herndon, violist, enjoys a distinguished career as a versatile and prolific soloist, orchestral and chamber musician.  She is Principal Violist for the Albany Symphony, an ensemble known for its with numerous world premier performances and recordings, and also a recipient of a 2013 Grammy Award.  She plays with their Dogs of Desire contemporary ensemble, as well as the New Jersey Symphony.  Now living in the Greater Boston area, she is the Assistant Principal Violist for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Her dynamic virtuosity, combined with a passion for new music, has led to frequent performances with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Musica Viva, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, Odyssey Opera, Monadnock Music Festival and the Winsor Music Chamber Series. This year, she became a member of both the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Radius Ensemble, adding to her growing presence on the Greater Boston musical scene.

Born in Chiba, Japan, she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, with post-graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  In 1994, she won first prize from the Geraldine B. Gee International Viola Competition.  She has also won concerto competitions for both the Aspen Music Festival and the University of Cincinnati.  A finalist for the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 1996, as well as a scholarship winner for the Japanese American Society of New York (1999), her teachers have included Masao Kawasaki, Catherine Carroll, Yuki Hyakutake, JunjiSuganuma, Toshiyuki Uzuka.