Keiko Matsui & Reading Pops Orchestra

Pianist Keiko Matsui has been a favorite performer at Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest for many years.

The Tokyo native blends classical and Eastern sounds with jazz in her heartfelt performances. She returns to collaborate once again with the Reading Pops Orchestra.

Matsui studied classical piano starting at age 5 but developed an interest in jazz by junior high school, when she began composing her own music. She also studied at the Yamaha Music Foundation. She started the band Cosmos, recording four albums with them, and then recorded her first solo album, “A Drop of Water” in 1987.

She has recorded 30 albums, the latest of which, “Euphoria” (2023), includes special guests: vocalist Lalah Hathaway, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist Mike Stern, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, vibraphonist Joel Ross, harmonica player Grégoire Maret and pianist/arranger John Beasley. Keiko is also joined by her touring band, bassist Rico Belled, guitarist JP Mourao and drummer Jimmy Branly.

Matsui is known for the spiritual quality of her music, and for her work with charities, especially the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which supports women with breast cancer. She says: “Through prayer and my music, I hope to be able to increase harmony on this planet.”

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