04/18/2026
Time to celebrate! One of our Met Orchestra Harpists, Mariko Anraku just won a Juno Award, for !
We are enormously proud of her!
“I am truly honored to be a part of the incredible “Kimiko’s Pearl” team to accept the JUNO award for “Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)”.
The Kimiko’s Pearl album features composer Kevin Lau’s original score from the full-length ballet commissioned and produced by Bravo Niagara. Blending a contemporary sound with elements of traditional Japanese music, Kimiko’s Pearl bridges past and present in a powerful tribute to a true Canadian story.
The recording features Mariko Anraku
(harp), Conrad Chow (violin), Ron Korb (traditional Japanese shinobue and Western flute), and Rachel Mercer (cello).
Based on a story by Emmy Award-winning writer Howard Reich and inspired by the family history of Bravo Niagara’s founders and Kimiko’s Pearl Co-Creators, Christine Mori and her daughter Alexis Spieldenner, Kimiko’s Pearl is the first ballet based on the Japanese Canadian internment during World War II.
“It is an honour to share our family’s story and pay tribute to the resilience of the Japanese Canadian community,” says Co-Creator
and Producer Christine Mori. “We are grateful that Kimiko’s Pearl can help shine a light on this dark chapter in Canadian history and
hope this music takes listeners on a journey of intergenerational healing and hope.”
A story of war, sacrifice and renewal, Kimiko’s Pearl reflects the tragedies, triumphs and perseverance of Japanese Canadians
before, during and after the Japanese Canadian internment. Their harsh experiences attest to heroism and hope in the face of racism.
Flutist Ron Korb adds, “Winning the JUNO last weekend was a tremendous honour. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that the album reflects a deeply personal and painful chapter of history for me as a Japanese Canadian. Growing up, my mother, aunts, and uncles often shared stories of the hardships they faced in the internment camps. Their ability to rebuild
their lives from nothing has always been a profound source of inspiration.”
