Anju Aoto, born in Tokyo, Japan, spent her childhood in Kansas City, MO. She started music with violin at the age of 5 at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance Academy, and won the Dorothy Zimmer Scholarship dedicated to young artists of the Academy at her time there. At age 10, she went back to Japan, where she joined the Setagaya Junior Orchestra as a viola player and started playing clarinet and bass clarinet at the same time.
In 2018, she was accepted to the Music High School Attached to the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts (GEIKO) as the only clarinet student. After graduation, she attended Tokyo University of the Arts (GEIDAI) Practical Music Program/Artist diploma as the youngest student, where she spent around 6 years studying clarinet with Mr. Hidemi Mikai. Now, she is studying clarinet at The Juilliard School under Mr. Charles Neidich.
Anju is an active member in various projects. She participated in Tokyo University of the Arts Early Education Project in 2016, as well as the NONAKA Clarinet Academy 2018 (Nagano, Japan) and Kitakaruizawa Music Seminar 2019 (Nagano, Japan)/2021/2022 (online). She also took other masterclasses at the Tokyo University of the Arts with various teachers.
Anju premiered many new composers’ works, such as Yuri Umemoto’s Ghosts for two clarinets, Filter for two clarinets, and Psychedelic Candy for solo clarinet. Psychedelic Candy for solo clarinet features on the composer’s album Dream sandwich (2020). Also recently premiered several pieces at Juilliard as well.
Anju performs with the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard AXIOM on bass clarinet and clarinet. In the past, she joined the GEIKO Orchestra and joined TOKYO GEIDAI Wind Orchestra for 100th Anniversary Alfred Reed Live Concert 2021, which was recorded as a CD.
SILVERSTEIN CLARINET COMPETITION 2023 Honorable Mention.
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