RINA
Biography
RINA was born in Japan and is now based in New York City, USA. .
RINA holds a Degree from the Kunitachi College Of Music in Japan where she studied with pianist Makoto Ozone. After graduation, RINA took an audition for the Berklee College Of Music in Boston, USA and her talent and exceptional abilities were clearly noticed. She received a full-scholarship to attend the college in consequence. She then graduated in 2018.
RINA placed second in the Ellis Marsalis International Jazz Piano Competition and also won the Nu Jazz Agency’s Chico & Lupe O'Farrill Award for Best Original Composition (2018). She was awarded third place in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club Contest (2019) , and nominated as "Jazz Artist Of The Year" by Boston Music Awards amongst Grammy award winner Terri Lyne Carrington and Grammy-award nominee Tia Fuller (2018) .
RINA has performed the lead keyboard position during a three-day residency with the nationally broadcasted American TV show "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Television Studio in 2018. She was selected to perform by music director and jury member of the Ellis Marsalis International Jazz Piano Competition, Jon Batiste. The band played for former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, American actor and comedian, David Alan Grier, actor and Canada's first prime minister, Eric McCormack, two times grammy-award winner, Garth Brooks, and actor and writer Tim Meadows.
RINA has appeared in world-renowned jazz events, including, the Bern Jazz Festival in Bern, Switzerland, San Jose jazz festival in California, USA, Nancy Jazz Pulsations in Nancy, France and Japanese New York jazz festivals in New York, USA. She also performed at internationally famous venues such as Blue Note Tokyo, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Blues Alley, SMOKE jazz club, Smalls and more.
In 2019, RINA signed a worldwide exclusive contract with Yamaha Music Entertainment Holding Inc, and later became a Yamaha Artist, joining an exquisite circle of renowned artists such as Chick Corea, Monty Alexander and Eddie Palmieri.
RINA’s first trio album was produced by Makoto Ozone and is planned to be released worldwide in 2020. She recorded with Yasushi Nakamura on Bass and Jerome Jennings on Drums.
Awards
2016 Jazz Performance Awardat Berklee College Of Music 2017 Named one of “60 New Jazz Artists” in Jazz Japan
2018 Second Place Winner in The Ellis Marsalis International Jazz Piano Competition 2018 The Nu Jazz Agency's Chico & Lupe O'Farrill Award for Best Original Composition in The Ellis
Marsalis International Jazz Piano Competition 2018 Nominated as a “Jazz Artist Of The Year“ by Boston Music Award 2018 2019 3rd Place Winner in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club’s Contest
