Biography

Mina Kubota, born in Fukuoka, Japan, started composing music at a music school at age four and began her piano career at age five. At age 10, she was recognized by Mstislav Rostropovich as she took his master class and has since been performing around the world. In 1983, she was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, where she played her own compositions with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rostropovich. She has also performed with renowned orchestras including concerts in the US (at the UN General Assembly Hall, New York), the UK, France, Germany, Mexico and Israel. After graduating from high school, Mina enrolled in the Royal Academy of Music in London as a scholarship student to study composition and commercial music under Nick Ingman and Chris Brown, followed by graduation in 1994 and completion of a postgraduate degree in 1995. She subsequently collaborated with musicians in the UK in various music genres, from pop to classic. Mina has been active as a pianist, composer, arranger and producer since she moved back to Japan in 2001, composing and arranging a variety of music for TV dramas, films, animation, etc. Her outstanding works include those for the NHK TV drama "Gegege no Nyobo", the film "Katsuragi Jiken", the TV animation "Macross Delta", and the "ARIA" series. In addition, she has released three albums of her own: Moment (2008, Victor Entertainment), Crystal Tales (2011, Aten Recordings), and Rain (2020, PYXIE LLC).