Yumi Hara-Cawkwell

Yumi Hara is a composer, performer, and DJ. She studied medicine in Japan and practised as a psychiatrist for eight years before moving to the UK in 1993. In 1999, she graduated with a first-class honours degree in music from City University in London; and in 2005, completed her PhD in composition at the university under Rhian Samuel. As a composer, she has written pieces for Contemporary classical ensembles such as PianoCircus, Ensemble Bash and Smith Quartet, but became increasingly known as an improvisor/performer in avant/experimental rock/Canterbury/RIO for her percussive piano and floating vocals since she released a CD album 'Dune' with Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine) in 2008. She has performed with Alfred Harth, Tim Hodgkinson, Fred Frith, Mani Neumeier, Jean-Hervé Péron, Zappi W. Diermaier, David Cross, David Jackson, Charles Hayward, Tatsuya Yoshida, Yoshihide Otomo, HACO and many more and released albums include: Geoff Leigh & Yumi Hara 'Upstream', Yumi Hara featuring Tatsuya Yoshida 'Statement Heels', you me & us (Daevid Allen, Chris Cutler, Yumi Hara) 'Poesy at Play'. She is a permanent member of The Artaud Beats (with Geoff Leigh, Chris Cutler, John Greaves). She is senior lecturer in music at University of East London.