Callisto Quartet pairs new and old at Chamber Music Columbus
Quasi-Faust, 2/20/23

“Though now based in the Pacific Northwest, (Korine Fujiwara) is someone with strong local connections (describing Columbus as her ’emotional home’ during her spoken remarks): violinist in the Columbus Symphony for many years, composer of a new work for Opera Columbus, and founding member of the Carpe Diem String Quartet. Sunsets, Like Childhood alludes to a quote from author Richard Paul Evans, and seeks to capture the energy of a sunset, and childlike sense of wonder many of us continue to have for this daily occurrence.

A short cello line opened, soon joined by the rest of the ensemble in lush harmony. Rapid tremolos and arpeggios conveyed a sense of evanescence like the fleeting sunset. The piece was simply full of life – celebratory, almost exuberant, yet still wistful and reflective with a particularly lovely theme surfacing about halfway through before the work peacefully drifted away into the night.”

The Flood, composed by Korine Fujiwara and co-commissioned by Opera Columbus and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, has recently been named the 2019 winner of the Columbus Makes Art Excellence Award for an organization with a budget of $1 million and over.  |  press release
The Greater Columbus Arts Council presented two Columbus Makes Art Excellence Awards recognizing outstanding achievements in innovation, risk and artistic excellence in a performance, exhibition, program or project. One $10,000 award was given in each category of organizations with budgets of under $1 million and those with budgets over $1 million.

Rocky River Chamber Music Society: Carpe Diem String Quartet, ClevelandClassical.com, 5/28/19
“The most vital piece of the first half came from within the ensemble. Fujiwara completed May Basket this year, and Monday’s concert featured its debut performance. From the mysterious ascent at the beginning through the gorgeous resolution thereafter, and from the calmer middle to the vigorous end, Fujiwara’s piece stood out.”

Classical tastes in contemporary times, Queens Chronicle, 5/9/19

“The Flood” from Opera Columbus and ProMusica Garners National Attention, Columbus Monthly, 2/14/19

‘The Flood’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Reviews: Premieres in Pursuit of Reinvention, The Wall Street Journal, 2/11/19
“Korine Fujiwara’s ‘The Flood,’ given its world premiere on Friday at the Southern Theatre by its co-commissioners, Opera Columbus and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, is a remarkably sophisticated piece of storytelling.”

Review | ‘The Flood’, The Columbus Dispatch, 2/9/19
“Wadsworth’s libretto is clear and concise amid the constant shifting forward and backward in time. Fujiwara’s music is rich and beguiling throughout.”

Review: Opera Columbus and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra’s “The Flood,” Columbus Underground, 2/9/19
“Appropriate for a piece about the end of various worlds, Fujiwara’s score features surging drama and squalls of intriguing dissonance…This is a riveting return to form for Opera Columbus and a celebratory exclamation point for ProMusica.”

Review: New Original Opera ‘The Flood’ Centers Around 1913 Franklinton Flood, WOSU Radio, 2/7/19
“The Flood is filled with music. Fujiwara provides comforting orchestral support for the singers and musical motifs connecting the scenes. The solo opportunities and the fine ensemble singing are very impressive…Fujiwara beautifully meets the challenge of weaving together different emotions across generations that make sense musically while delighting the ear.”

50 States, USA  Today, 2/8/19

Original opera ‘The Flood’ reflects ripple effects of Columbus catastrophe, The Columbus Dispatch, 2/7/19

All Sides Weekend Arts: Opera Columbus “The Flood,” WOSU Radio, 1/25/19

Korine Fujiwara’s music was featured in The Sorel Forward: A Celebration of Women in Music concert at Carnegie Hall on February 24, 2019  |  more info

Carpe Diem String Quartet has been awarded a Global Music Award Gold Medal for its CD, The Music of Jeff Midkiff

Review: Carpe Diem brings refreshing nuance at RSO destination concert, The Roanoke Times, 10/28/18

Review: Carpe Diem String Quartet seizes the crowd at Rocky River Chamber Music Society, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), 3/22/17

Review: Carpe Diem String Quartet at Weill Recital Hall, NY Theatre Guide, 1/16/17

Review: Austin Chamber Music Center’s My Life, The Austin Chronicle, 1/27/17

Carpe Diem player aims for ‘virtuosity without pomposity,’ Tallahassee Democrat, 1/17/16

Composer Korine Fujiwara Celebrates Her ‘Storyteller’ Father in Music, NPR, 9/11/15

Review: Columbus Dance Theatre’s Claudel vividly recreates sculptor’s ‘dream,’ Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, OH), 1/25/14

Review: Carpe Diem Quartet is masterful in both classics and modern works, Washington Post, 3/17/13

Review: Carpe Diem quartet seizes Grand County audience, Sky-Hi News (Grand County, CO), 4/21/11

Review: Carpe Diem String Quartet seizes the stage, Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL), 4/4/11

Review: Montana CD, Fanfare Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011

Carpe Diem String Quartet takes its music to the people, The Seattle Times, 11/20/10