newjerseynewsroom.com

BY PAT SUMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

N.J. ARTISTS

Kiri Murakami: she’s just your usual magna cum laude Princeton University grad, who has played violin since age 3; who is both general manager of Princeton Symphony Orchestra and a member of its first violin section; who also plays violin in other ensembles, teaches violin and – of course – practices and learns new pieces.

In her “free time,” she serves on the board of directors and chairs a committee for “Music for Autism,” a non-profit organization that raises money and presents free concerts for people with autism and their families. In her really free time, she loves hanging out with big dogs and sometimes dog-sits them.

But no, Murakami doesn’t have time to compose music these days, and regular gym workouts have become a thing of the past.

Averaging about six hours of sleep a night is one way she achieves all she does as if with her left hand, but being a longtime multi-tasker and list-maker with a detail orientation also helps.

Matter-of-fact about her work load, Murakami says when she decided to become a full-time arts administrator, she determined at the same time to play as a much as possible. So, one evening earlier this summer, instead of relaxing at home in Jersey City, she carried her violin case into a Princeton restaurant to meet friends for a pre-performance meal.

On that night and one other, she played with the Princeton Festival Orchestra for an opera production. Then she drove home from McCarter Theater, returning the next morning to the Princeton Symphony (PSO) office and her myriad behind-the-scenes duties to assure her colleagues’ performances will go smoothly. 

The table turns when she plays in other groups, such as the Westminster Festival Orchestra and Princeton Pro Musica. She enjoys finding the rehearsal room set up, the music in place and everything else already taken care of when as a musician, she simply goes to the performance site and plays.

As for being both player and administrator with Princeton Symphony, Murakami says, “I never thought much about the title and what it means in terms of ‘I have to be an authority figure.’ I just try to be very professional in both settings.”

Sometimes instead of warming up at rehearsals, she finds herself answering musicians’ questions for the general manager. And, “A lot of my musician colleagues are my personal friends,” she adds comfortably.

A member of the PSO since 2001, Murakami had auditioned for a violin position, and won. At that point, she was halfway through her sophomore year at Princeton, majoring in music theory/composition and minoring in musical performance, Japanese language and culture, and environmental studies.