Motogamba

“Motomi Igarashi,  . . . provided deft accompaniment.”

—New York Times.  

Ms. Igarashi is a ubiquitous presence in the NY early music scene. A first prize winner at the Aspen Music Festival Double Bass competition,  Ms. Igarashi studied double bass with Eugene Levinson at the Juilliard School, in addition with Franco Petracchi and Duncan McTier. After graduating from the Juilliard studied viola da gamba in France and spent years in intensive study with Marianne Muller, Wieland Kuijken, and Paolo Pandolfo, and most recently studied lirone with Erin Headley. She plays the viola da gamba, violone, the baroque double bass and lirone with various groups such as The American Classical Orchestra, Anima, Artek, Bach Collegium Japan, the Concert Royal, Dryden Ensemble and REBEL, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, both on the East coast and in Japan. Motomi is the principle bass player for Boston Baroque. She appeared as soloist for NY Philharmonic Brandenburg Concert No.6. 

Ms. Igarashi is in many of the above group’s recordings and is featured in jazz and popular music, accompanying the likes of Brad Mehldau, Natalie Merchant and others, and movies like WarnerBrothers’ Il Mistero di Dante, and Disney’ Casanova. She can be heard playing lirone on brad Mehldau’s Academy Award nominated Jacob’s Ladder.

Ms. Igarashi is a board member of the viola da gamba society of Greater New York, a caretaker of instruments for the Gamba Society of America, and a teacher of master classes and workshops.

If you wish to contact Motomi, email her using her first name @ this address.