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Saturday, Nov. 9: Marimba Star Naoko Takada to Perform the Classics in Milford, PA

CHILDREN UNDER AGE 15 ADMITTED FREE

Can you play Bach on a marimba? Probably not, but Naoko Takada can. On Saturday, Nov. 9th, at 5:30 p.m. she will appear at the Milford Theatre, courtesy of Kindred Spirits Arts Programs. Tickets to the concert concert cost $20 at the box office or $15 in advance; see below for details.

Takada, the James Galway of her instrument, will perform music ranging from Bach to modern composers -- perhaps a tango, maybe something by Paul McCartney. Her program will include pieces by Chopin and Liszt that are normally played on a piano, but many listeners prefer the sound of the marimba to a piano, at least when Takada is doing the playing. The proof is in the prizes: Over the past decade or so, she has won enough international competitions to fill a mid-size concert hall with trophies.

Three Encores

Born in Japan, Takada made her professional debut at age 11 with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and she has gone on to play with the Houston Symphony, Leonard Slatkin and the Orchestra of St. Luke, the China National Symphony Orchestra, and other A-list orchestras of the world. She released her first CD, Marimba Meets the Classics, in 2007, and it imparts a cliche-shattering, shimmering beauty to the music.

Wherever she performs, this artist gets rave reviews. "Naoko Takada plays a thrilling marimba, moving with speed, grace, and extraordinary accuracy. If you have any doubts that a solo mallet instrument can sustain your attention...Takada might make you change your mind." That was The Washington Post's critic, but when the New Orleans Times-Picayune critic heard Takada, he admitted, "No one needs a critic when an audience leaps to its feet, calling a star soloist back for three encores."

Kindred Spirits and Ticket Information

Kindred Spirits Arts Programs, Inc., arranges music education events for school students as well as public concerts, so Takada will be speaking and performing for Delaware Valley High School students the day before her concert. KSAP is producing both appearances as part of its 2013 series, which included a Sept. 21st concert by a full symphony orchestra, a first for Milford.

Kindred Spirits started out in 2001 as a volunteer group that arranged music-oriented events at Grey Towers for the Pinchot Institute. Today it's a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported by funds from individuals, businesses, and government agencies.

Tickets for the concert, at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 9th, cost $20 at the box office or $15 when purchased in advance on KSAP's website, http://kindredspiritsarts.org/. The public can also buy tickets at Books and Prints at Pear Alley, 220 Broad Street, Milford, PA. Children under 15 are admitted free.