Japanese Jazz trio serenades all at Empire Hotel & Country Club
By James Kon & Huraizah Ahmad

Dato Hj Hamdillah, Managing Director of BLNG (c) with two of the Japanese Jazz trio

Violinist Miss Fumi of Umisora
Photos by: James Kon

More than 100 high tea guests at the lobby of the Empire Hotel & Country Club enjoyed a lovely Jazz performance last Saturday by Umisora, a Jazz trio - a violinist, pianist and guitarist from Japan. Organised by the Brunei Japan Friendship Association, it was part of the many activities lined up for the Asean Japan Exchange 2003 programme.

Dato Hj Hamdillah, Managing Director of BLNG introduced the trio to high tea guests at the Empire Lobby.

It was definitely a delightful spot, which has the perfect ambience to enjoy high tea in the afternoon with friends. Jazz music filled the air with powerful vocal performances.

Featuring six songs with four songs in English, one in Portuguese and one in Japanese, the trio surrounded the lobby with beautiful music pieces symbolising peace and tranquillity. The Empire Hotel and Country Club is pleased to host Japan's highly acclaimed trio whose talented members are Fumi Sekihara, Yuki Murakami and Mr. Yuichiro Hiraoka.

The violinist Fumi first picked up her violin at the age of 3 and graduated from Toho Music College. She was a concert mistress at Chikuho Symphony Orchestra in 1995 and in 1998, participated in a friendship concert at Nanking, China. Her elder sister, Miss Yuki also started playing piano at the age of 3 and graduated from the Musashino Music University in 1993. Aside from regular performances in China, she is also a member of another group of musicians playing traditional japanese instruments.

The guitarist, Mr Yuichiro Hiraoka picked up his first guitar at the tender age of 11 before learning professionally under his mentor, Mr. Makota Musushita. In 2001, he released his first album "It's About Time For..." and has been performing in various concerts.

The trio had been in Brunei for four days and visited a number of places of interest around Brunei Darussalam. They left for Tokyo yesterday.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin