A former journalist with childhood piano training at Juilliard Pre-College and a stint as a one-time war reporter on her resumé, Kyoko Kitamura is an oddball vocal improviser and composer who has performed and/or recorded with many distinguished musicians including Anthony Braxton, Reggie Workman, Steve Coleman, Jim Staley, and Taylor Ho Bynum.

Mostly recently, she appears on Trillium E (New Braxton House 2011), the first-ever studio-recording of an Anthony Braxton opera, and his Syntactical GTM Choir (NYC) 2011 (New Braxton House 2012). She has also released her first solo album Armadillo In Sunset Park and can be heard on the critically acclaimed Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey Strings release Madeleine Dreams (Firehouse 12 Records 2009), Jamie Baum’s Solace (Sunnyside Records 2008), and Steve Coleman’s Lucidarium (Label Bleu 2004), among others.

She currently works with Anthony Braxton as a vocalist in his Tri-Centric Orchestra and as a board member of his Tri-Centric Foundation. Her own songs are often based on her experiences as a journalist. AllMusicGuide calls her “a major asset... Kitamura is an expressive vocalist who knows how to be quirky and eccentric but is also quite musical.” Solo album coming in April 2012.

Website http://www.kyokokitamura.com/