Ayami Okamura

Acclaimed as “a musician of great significance and profound musical expression,” Ayami Okamura is an internationally recognized marimba and percussion artist, educator, and composer. Originally from Kyoto, Japan, and now residing in Germany, she has captivated audiences across the United States, Europe, and Japan. As a dedicated soloist, Ayami commissions and premieres new works, collaborating with renowned composers such as Julie Spencer, Peter Klatzow, Gordon Stout, and David Friedman. Her passion for arrangement and composition broadens the repertoire for percussion, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of genres such as classical, traditional, jazz, and film. Current solo projects, including “Poem of Color” and “The Scenes in Your Own Heart,” focus on thematic storytelling and therapeutic qualities, earning acclaim in Japan. Since 2015, Ayami has collaborated with percussionist Dan deSimone in the Shiki Percussion Duo, aiming to expand the percussion repertoire through innovative arrangements and compositions. Their projects include transcribing Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Twelve Fantasias for Viola da Gamba Solo” for marimba and arranging Simeon ten Holt’s “Lemniscaat” for mallet ensemble. They are also developing the anthology “Harmonize,” which aims to foster a more inclusive and multicultural representation of contemporary percussion music. In addition to her performance career, Ayami has been a guest artist and faculty member at prestigious international events like the Southern California Marimba Festival, Ivana Summer Percussion Festival, and the Zeltsman Marimba Festival. She has presented masterclasses at renowned universities worldwide, including the University of Michigan and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Ayami holds a faculty position at Hochschule für Musik Detmold in Germany, teaching vibraphone, set-up, and percussion. Her compositions are published by Edition Svitzer (Denmark), and she is a co-founder of the Detmold Percussion Group.