Spotlight on Hanako Yamaguchi

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career -- where are you from, where are you based now, and what are you working on currently?

My parents came from Japan as newlyweds to New York City, where I was born and currently live.

My siblings and I were brought up in a true blend of Japanese and American cultures. Every year my mother prepared the traditional Japanese breakfast to bring in the New Year, while Sunday dinners were subs and soda while watching the Wonderful World of Disney. Our parents felt it was important to share their appreciation of visual art and live performances. And we all played musical instruments and learned from an early age the value of arts and culture.

Perhaps like most young people today, I did not think about my future strategically and followed my passion and ended up majoring in music without knowing where that would lead me. Luckily for me, early in my career I had the fortune of landing a job in the programming department at Lincoln Center where I worked for many years.

Now, as an independent, self-employed professional, I have the opportunity to experience a variety of responsibilities: curating, producing, mentoring, advising, and orchestra planning, among others. One creative project that has brought me immense joy is working with cellist Alisa Weilerstein. I am the artistic producer and advisor to a multi-year solo cello project called FRAGMENTS, which began as an idea in Dec 2020. Once complete, the project will be six programs of music that each weave together the movements of a Bach Cello Suite with 27 new works, all commissioned for this project. Integrated into the music is a light design and an abstract set that awakens the senses and invites you to listen more deeply. FRAGMENTS had its world premiere this past January at Toronto’s 21C Music Festival, and it just made its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall earlier this month. I love it for many reasons including that it takes a fresh look at what a concert experience can be.

You left your long-time position at Lincoln Center in the middle of the pandemic. In retrospect, do you think that timing and change worked in your favor?

I had countless life-changing and incredible artistic experiences at Lincoln Center. Among other initiatives, I worked on two annual festivals (Mostly Mozart and White Light) and a concert series. I grew up there professionally and learned so much about producing, artistic planning, and what it means to shape a live experience with an artistic vision, both on a micro and macro level. It was a crazy unceasing cycle of planning and producing – with performances and festivals year-round.

So, when the pandemic hit, suddenly, we had to stop and shift gears. There were no live events for many months. It allowed for reflection and an opportunity to try something new.

As I said earlier, as an independent art professional, I now have the opportunity to work in various areas with different people and organizations. It has been invigorating to observe aspects of the live arts through a different lens, and to work closely with young artists. I am really enjoying myself.

Based on your experience, what is one piece of advice you would recommend to emerging arts professionals?

Follow your passion. Talk to people. Meet people who will inspire you. Keep asking questions. Find an aspect of the art form or business that you are curious about or energizes you and follow it. Go down that rabbit hole of discovery. Keep your curiosity alive.

And the ISPA community is chock full of interesting, helpful, and creative professionals. Don’t forget, people love to give advice.

You’re a member of ISPA Program Committee and Chair the Pitch New Works Committee. How does your perspective influence the upcoming program and pitch project selection?

The program committee is a great team of caring and motivated colleagues looking out to improve the ISPA experience and I’m proud to be part of this group. It’s really a group effort and hopefully we are succeeding in envisioning and guiding the programs and activities for the membership.

And the Pitch Committee is particularly special and fun as it offers a window into what artists are creating and developing today all around the world. However, it is challenging to whittle many dozens of applications down to a mere 10 projects while also keeping a balance of geography and discipline.

Personally, I am always looking for the next great innovative music project!

You’re planning to join ISPA Congress in Manchester, June 27-30. What are you looking forward the most during the Congress?

I love to go to places I’ve never been before, and Manchester is one of them.

The mid-year congresses offer a thoughtfully organized cultural experience, often tying in the local history and activities to the ISPA and arts community. I look forward to immersing myself in Manchester’s history.

I am particularly looking forward to seeing the new Factory International, one of the many venues of the Manchester International Festival, in addition to all the exciting offerings the Festival has to offer. Having produced multi-disciplinary festivals myself, I am excited to experience and feel the energy of a festival setting again. I will try to see as much as possible! It’s exciting to stumble upon a creation that unexpectedly excites.