Kobayashi in Concert in Cold Spring

Kobayashi will appear in Cold Spring, July 21

Akiko Kobayashi '07, an acclaimed violinist who favors works from Bach to Prokofiev, will join pianist Eric Siepkes for a free concert along the Hudson Sunday afternoon, July 21 (4 pm), in Cold Spring as part of the summer music series at the Chapel Restoration.

Kobayashi, born in New York, majored in biology and music at Yale and performed with the Yale Symphony Orchestra. After her New Haven days, she received a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.  She has appeared as a soloist in orchestras in Tokyo, Jamaica, Yonkers and Jamaica. Last year, she and Siepkes released a new CD of works by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Mozart and Debussy. A previous CD, where she was accompanied by her mother Claudia Kobayashi, includes works by Bach.

A CD Release in 2012

In New York, Kobayashi has appeared in recitals at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cathedral of St. John the Devine, and Steinway Hall.  She has played at international festivals at Bowdoin, in the Berkshires, and in Bavaria. 

Kobayashi helped establish the Annie Le Memorial Fellowship in honor of the late Yale medical and doctorate student who was murdered in 2009. (A Yale lab technician pleaded guilty to charges and was sentenced).  Kobayashi organized a benefit concert in April, 2010, in Le's honor at St. Peter's Church in New York. The concert and fellowship were also sponsored by the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni. Robert Blocker, Dean of the Yale School of Music, and Ransom Wilson, professor at the school, assisted with the program. Jessica Chang '08, a violist, participated, as well.

At the Le Memorial Concert, 2010

In June, 2013, Kobayashi performed works by Beethoven, Bartok and Schumann in concerts in Great Neck, LI, and Mahway, NJ. She and Siepkes have concerts scheduled in Norwalk, CT, Manhattan and Long Island this fall.

Critics and concert-goers in the past have called her performances "precise and honest-playing with no artificial effects," "wonderful ideas about the music," and "impeccable technique."

Siepkes, who plays piano, harpsichord and organ, is a Pittsburgh native. He studied at the Eastman School of Music and the Mannes College of Music.

The Chapel is located at 45 Market Street in Cold Spring (across from the Metro-North train station).

TW