MIKA ERICKSON

Mika was born in Osaka, Japan. She began to play piano when she was 3 years old and marimba when she was 6. Mika learned to play the marimba with Kayo Toda. She joined a brass band when she was in junior high school. Her first professional engagement performing marimba was in collaboration with the Kansai Marimba Association and Japan Xylophone Association. Through her membership and affiliation with these associations, Ms. Mimura gained national exposure and acclaim.  Mika became a frequent guest on the popular Japanese television program, "Ai-wa chikyu wo sukuu" from an early age. Ms. Mimura received the Kobe Music Concert Board of Education award in 1994.

Mika began her studies in classical music at the Osaka College of Music in April of 1997,  and finished her Master's degree in March in 2003. She was a semi-finalist of the Belgium Marimba Competition Duo division in 2001. She was a prolific performer during these years. She joined marimba great Mariko Matsumoto's group where she had the distinction to perform in concert at the designation of Yakushiji in Nara as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.  

                In 2003, Mika was inspired by the legendary Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone to study jazz vibraphone with Toshihiro Akamatsu. She attended the Berklee Mallet Week, and she was awarded a Berklee World Scholarship in Tokyo. She entered the Berklee College of Music in the fall of 2004, and she graduated in December of 2007. During her tenure at Berklee, Mika studied closely with Dave Samuels, Ed Saindon, and Tiger Okoshi. She was a regular member of Phil Wilson's Rainbow Big Band, the Rainbow All Stars, and Ricardo Monzon’s Guatemala Marimba. Ms. Mimura had a concert performance with jazz saxophonist Greg Osby at the Berklee Performance Center. In 2007, Mika joined the group, “The BandA ecLectics”, whose leader, Petros Sakelliou, won first prize at the Thelonious Monk Institute Composition Competition. She performed at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. She received the Berklee International Grant in 2006-2007, and she received the Division Achievement Professional Achievement Award in 2007.

          In 2008, Mika moved to New York. Mika released her first album “Precious” in 2009 with renowned artists such as Grammy Winning bassist Michael League of Snarky Puppy. She joined the group “Banda Magda”, whose leader is Magda Giannikou. The band went on tour in Europe, US, Columbia in South America.  She has played with Banda Magda at such venues as the Irving Plaza, Celebrate Brooklyn, Joe’s Pub, 92Y Tribeca, as well as well-known Blue Note Jazz Club. After the success of their brilliantly colorful debut album, “Amour, t’es là?,” it was listed on the Top 10 Billboard World Music Charts, NPR’s All Songs Considered, First Listen, and NPR’s 10 favorite World Music Albums 2013.  In 2011 during one of her many tours in Japan, she had the opportunity to perform at the NHK Osaka Hall with the YS Ballet Company.  This was one of her favorite performances of all time.

　　　In 2014, Mika released album “Dreamii”.  This album consisted of 12 tracks and are all her own original compositions with Grammy Winning bassist Michael League, vocalist and accordion player Magda Giannikou of Banda Magda, five-time Grammy winning drummer Mark Walker of the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet and the famous jazz vibraphonist, Warren Wolf. In 2015, she performed at the Blue Note & The Japan Foundation presents East meets West Series at the New York Blue Note Jazz Club with her self-named group.  Mika performed at the "Peace Concert" on board the USS Missouri on December 7th at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The concert was for the 70th Anniversary of World WarⅡ.  In 2016, She performed with Banda Magda at the Cotton Club in Japan.  She also went on a west coast tour with Banda Magda starting in California and eventually making their way into Nevada and Arizona as part of the tour.  Mika performed at the Embassy of Japan Information and Culture Center in Washington DC with her group. In 2017, She performed at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Japan with Banda Magda. In 2018, She started to perform Sound Healing, and she released her sound healing album "wave of overtone" with singer Shimano Sarumaru.

            In 2019,  She moved to Hawaii from NYC. She regularly perform and sound healing in Hawaii. She has attracted attention at various events, including the monthly New Moon and Full Moon Sound Healing hosted by Sound Healing Hawaii.

Mika will continue to work energetically performing, teaching, composing, arranging and recording regardless of genre of music.