Collaborative Piano

Pianist Julie Nishimura was the University of Delaware School of Music’s Faculty Accompanist for 31 years, having performed over 600 recitals, chamber music concerts and opera performances, and, in addition, teaching the Accompanying Classes. During part of that time, she was also a Staff Collaborative Artist for Philadelphia’s Strings International Music Festival, now Philadelphia International Music Festival, and San Francisco-based California Summer Music. Since retirement, she has stayed active as a freelance collaborative artist, enjoying a variety of projects, including work as a rehearsal pianist for Berkeley’s West Edge Opera (2021), and as a guest artist for the Gold Coast Chamber Players (2022). She can often be seen jumping in at the last minute for rehearsals and recitals! For over twenty years she has been Artistic Director for Wilmington, Delaware’s non-profit, Distant Voices Touring Theatre, which she started with her late husband Danny Peak, performing a theatrical show underscored with piano music about her father’s time in the Japanese American Concentration Camps of WWII. Julie has enjoyed recording projects with friends Denise Tryon, horn, and Christopher Nichols, clarinet, and can be heard on the Bridge, Albany and Navona labels. Currently, she divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the East Coast. Julie is very excited to be working at Encore and alongside a former student in her Accompanying Classes at Delaware, Hyun Soo Kim.