Bio

Rebecca Kite is an internationally recognized concert marimbist, writer, teacher, orchestra timpanist, and percussionist. In her fifty-year career, she has performed in concerts, conducted master classes, residencies, and clinics in venues throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and Japan. Her recording of the Bach Chaconne in D Minor on the CD Across Time was received with critical acclaim establishing her as an exceptional world class marimba soloist:

“Rebecca Kite is a fine performer with an impressive technique, a good deal of musical sense, and the ability to exploit all the nuances of the instrument . . . The most satisfying piece on the disc is Kite’s own transcription of the famous Bach D-Minor Chaconne. Here Kite’s pacing and building of the often – complex variations are exemplary.” Richard Burke, Fanfare Magazine – 1994.

In addition to performing, Kite has studied the Japanese language, literature, and culture to give greater depth to her understanding of Japanese music – both contemporary and traditional. This interest and her study of the marimba with Keiko Abe, the world’s foremost marimba virtuoso, motivated her to engage in researching and writing Abe’s biography, Keiko Abe – A Virtuosic Life, published in 2007, and has since been translated and published in both Japanese and Spanish.

Kite’s work as a marimba soloist may be heard on her two solo CD recordings, Across Time and Prism on streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon. Her books, including Keiko Abe – A Virtuosic Life, Reading Mallet Percussion Music, and Anthology of Lute and Guitar Music for Marimba are available from most online retailers. Kite is a Yamaha Performing Artist and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.