Yuriko Gandolfo

Yuriko Gandolfo serves as a Lecturer in the School of Music at the University of Maryland's College of Arts and Humanities, appointed in Fall 2023 to direct the UMD Japanese Koto Ensemble. She maintains a dual role as Assistant Music Director for the Washington Toho Koto Society, which has collaborated with UMD for over fifty years through joint concerts.

Her educational background includes formative training in Western instruments (piano, clarinet, flute) during her upbringing in Fukuoka, Japan, followed by dedicated koto studies under Sensei Kyoko Okamoto since 1988. She earned her formal koto teaching certification in 2023 after transitioning from a prior career in investment banking.

Specializing in traditional Japanese music, Gandolfo actively advances koto performance and ethnomusicology through diverse engagements across academic, cultural, and governmental spheres. Her performance portfolio spans university venues, embassies (including Japan's Embassy), museums, festivals, and community spaces, demonstrating cross-cultural outreach through both public concerts and private ceremonies like weddings and memorials.

Prior to her faculty appointment, she mentored UMD koto students as a substitute instructor and continues this educational mission with current ensembles. Her community engagement extends through the university's outreach initiatives, performing at senior centers, libraries, and cultural institutions while leveraging the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center as her institutional base.