An accomplished Japanese organist whose artistry spans historical repertoire, international performance, and the study of organ music, Mineko Kojima joins the 52nd International Bamboo Organ Festival in 2027. Her participation brings an international perspective to the festival’s celebration of the organ as an instrument of artistic expression, historical continuity, and sacred music.
Kojima graduated from Tamagawa University, completed graduate studies at Musashino Academia Musicae, and undertook further studies at Ferris University. In 2003, she completed the Organist Internship Program at Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, an important step in her professional development. She has since performed throughout Japan, Europe, and the United States, appearing in solo recitals and collaborating with ensembles, orchestras, and wind bands.
A distinctive aspect of Kojima’s musical work is her sustained study of Spanish organ music. Her research involves visiting historical organs throughout Spain and exploring the repertoire associated with these instruments and their musical traditions. She also actively performs works by Japanese composers, reflecting her broad engagement with both historical and contemporary musical expression. In 2020, she released her first recording, La nuit étoilée (Hoshizukiyo), which received recognition in Japanese music publications and was featured in international organ-music coverage.
Beyond her performing career, Kojima directs La academia del órgano español, teaches at Musashino University, and serves as an organist at Myofukuji Lumbini Academy. She previously served as assistant organist at Tsukiji Honganji in Tokyo and is a member of the Japan Organist Association and the Japan Organ Study Group.
For the 52nd International Bamboo Organ Festival, Kojima will perform on two distinct instruments in Las Piñas: the historic Las Piñas Bamboo Organ at St. Joseph Parish Church and the Johann Trummer Organ at St. Joseph’s Academy, the parochial school beside the church. These performances offer audiences an opportunity to encounter the expressive possibilities of two organs within the same historic parish community, each contributing its own character to the experience of organ music.
Kojima will also participate in one of the festival’s Masses which will be held at the San Ezekiel Moreno Oratory.
Through her visit, Mineko Kojima joins an international community of musicians who gather in the Philippines to celebrate the enduring artistry of the organ. Her participation offers festival audiences an opportunity to experience the instrument through the perspective of a performer whose work bridges historical traditions, international musical exchange, and the continuing life of organ music in sacred and concert settings.
