Kiri Murakami - Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Kiri Murakami: Virtuoso musician and arts manager Sunday, 19 August 2012 10:00

BY PAT SUMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

N.J. ARTISTS

Kiri Murakami: she’s just your usual magna cum laude Princeton University grad, who has played violin since age 3; who is both general manager of Princeton Symphony Orchestra and a member of its first violin section; who also plays violin in other ensembles, teaches violin and – of course – practices and learns new pieces.

In her “free time,” she serves on the board of directors and chairs a committee for “Music for Autism,” a non-profit organization that raises money and presents free concerts for people with autism and their families. In her really free time, she loves hanging out with big dogs and sometimes dog-sits them.

But no, Murakami doesn’t have time to compose music these days, and regular gym workouts have become a thing of the past.

Averaging about six hours of sleep a night is one way she achieves all she does as if with her left hand, but being a longtime multi-tasker and list-maker with a detail orientation also helps.

Matter-of-fact about her work load, Murakami says when she decided to become a full-time arts administrator, she determined at the same time to play as a much as possible. So, one evening

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earlier this summer, instead of relaxing at home in Jersey City, she carried her violin case into a Princeton restaurant to meet friends for a pre-performance meal.

On that night and one other, she played with the Princeton Festival Orchestra for an opera production. Then she drove home from McCarter Theater, returning the next morning to the Princeton Symphony (PSO) office and her myriad behind-the-scenes duties to assure her colleagues’ performances will go smoothly.

The table turns when she plays in other groups, such as the Westminster Festival Orchestra and Princeton Pro Musica. She enjoys finding the rehearsal room set up, the music in place and everything else already taken care of when as a musician, she simply goes to the performance site and plays.

As for being both player and administrator with Princeton Symphony, Murakami says, “I never thought much about the title and what it means in terms of ‘I have to be an authority figure.’ I just try to be very professional in both settings.”

Sometimes instead of warming up at rehearsals, she finds herself answering musicians’ questions for the general manager. And, “A lot of my musician colleagues are my personal friends,” she adds comfortably.

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A member of the PSO since 2001, Murakami had auditioned for a violin position, and won. At that point, she was halfway through her sophomore year at Princeton, majoring in music theory/composition and minoring in musical performance, Japanese language and culture, and environmental studies.

Her undergrad career also included being co-concertmaster of the university orchestra and winning a concerto-playing competition. For her senior thesis, she composed an orchestral piece the university orchestra played after she graduated. Both the format of her thesis and the performance of an undergrad’s work were firsts.

The tasks Murakami handles as PSO’s general manager – a job title that can seem too narrow for all she does – inspire respect. Her slender stature belies her weighty results. Similarly, the fact that her 1882 violin is a little larger than full size adds to the impression that she’s not daunted by oversize challenges.

No “95-pound weakling” she. Melanie Clarke, PSO’s executive director, has described Kiri Murakami as “beautiful and steely – a porcelain doll with the underbelly of a Princeton tiger.”

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Born in Osaka, Japan in 1981, she lived in Tokyo and Nara until she was 11, when her family moved to New Jersey for three years, then to Manhattan. Although Murakami’s total immersion in the English language began in fifth grade, by the next year, she had entered Julliard’s pre-college program on Saturdays, studying violin, composition and piano.

Her Sundays were for the New York Youth Symphony, with three years as concertmaster. If not already, this was when she became an adept multi-tasker.

Once at Princeton University, Murakami’s work ethic as a musician caught the eye of the audio engineer for Richardson and Taplin halls, and soon she was assisting with concert recording. She got to know the Richardson stage crew in the process – a window into concert music’s behind-the-scenes world that helped grow her interest in arts administration.

PSO’s general manager since July 2007, Murakami began with the organization as coordinator of outreach and operation, then became manager of operations and education. Now, she agrees, she works to “keep the railroad running” through such diverse tasks as

* buying or leasing equipment and occasional instruments;

* managing the server and database;

* preparing diagrams and tech sheets for concert hall stagehands;

* handling employee health insurance;

* arranging parking for guest artists and musicians with large instruments;

* phone-chatting with orchestra patrons.

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Programming is a big part of Murakami’s role because PSO presents five classical concerts a year. There are also performances for school children that culminate in multiple BRAVO! spring concerts and a chamber series now offered at four venues.

More important yet, she builds and maintains PSO’s master calendar – the online schedule for everything to do with the orchestra, from its performances and their rehearsals and related events, to board meetings, fund raising and committee dates. She checks all this against Music Director Rossen Milanov’s calendar and those of guest artists, as well as venue availability.

“More than anything, I manage expenses,” Murakami says. Once Clarke and she have created the budget, she tracks and updates it, believing, “There are always ways to cut costs without affecting artistic quality.”

For example, not every musician performs throughout a concert, possibly playing in only one piece on the program. So that person need attend only the rehearsals for her/his piece. Murakami notes all the instruments involved in the program, and to what extent, then asks Milanov to take that into account when proposing rehearsals.

This practice saves both time and money. Some musicians might otherwise travel 90 minutes to rehearse for 10 minutes, with PSO paying for their travel. Spared needless rehearsals, musicians can use that time for other pursuits.

Her study of composition helps Murakami here; so does her awareness of orchestra instruments and use of a key reference book. She may get the score and figure out who plays when -helpful info if Milanov wants to focus on particular movements.

She also works with the orchestra’s personnel manager on musicians’ payroll, which includes elements like travel costs and cartage rates – for transporting specified large instruments – as well as various deductions. Grant writing falls under her purview too, often in collaboration with administrative colleagues.

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Both committed musician and arts manager, Murakami appears to thrive on having lots to do. And yet she always seems effortlessly on top of things.

She came to the US at age 11 and she’s been with PSO for 11 years. It’s intriguing to wonder what Kiri Murakami will be doing 11 years from now, in 2023. Without doubt, it will be musical and notable.

For more information: www.PrincetonSymphony.org ; www.MusicforAutism.org . RELATED Ewing artist Joy Kreves mixes media to convey messages

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