Yuki Isami’s “Rives”
flows between worlds
The concert tour reflecting her debut release marks a new artistic chapter
September 18, 2025
Japanese-Canadian flutist and multi-instrumentalist Yuki Isami, a familiar and welcome presence on both Quebec and international stages for over two decades, now steps firmly into the foreground. She has unveiled a 14-stop tour spanning the fall of 2025 through the spring of 2026, her most ambitious undertaking yet. This tour coincides with the release of her first solo album, Rives (Shores), launched in May 2024, and signals not merely another series of concerts, but a decisive turning point in her artistic journey.
Yuki Isami unveiled a 14-stop tour stretching from the fall of 2025 through the spring of 2026.
The pedigree behind her artistry is formidable. Currently second flute and piccolo with the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville and Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay, Isami has also graced the ranks of the Orchestre Métropolitain and Orchestre symphonique de Laval. Beyond the classical terrain, she has proven her versatility as part of Montreal’s acclaimed Japanese psychedelic rock collective, TEKE::TEKE — a duality that attests to the breadth of her musical compass.
Isami’s training, stitched across Japan, Canada, and Europe, brought her under the batons of luminaries such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Kazuyoshi Akiyama. Yet, what distinguishes Isami is her immersion in traditional Japanese arts: the shinobue flute and the stylized movements of nihonbuyo dance, studied under Kan Fukuhara and Yukimitsu Bando. These elements impart a ritualistic depth to her playing, weaving cultural memory into precision.
‘Isami’s training, stitched across Japan, Canada, and Europe, brought her under the batons of luminaries such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Kazuyoshi Akiyama.’
She has long pursued kaleidoscopic projects that dissolve artistic borders: Branches et racines at MAI with its multimedia layering, or TSUKI, a luminous fairy-tale dreamscape staged with La Nef at the Montreal Botanical Garden. With Rives, she distills this penchant for boundary-crossing into album form. In this soundscape, Japanese and Western flutes meet their kin in koto and shamisen, producing textures that shimmer with both antiquity and renewal.
Her tour ensemble reflects her collaborative spirit. Pianist Natsuki Hiratsuka, trained across Boston, Manhattan, and San Francisco, brings a radiant and agile presence. Percussionist Corinne René, adept at shifting between the classical stage, improvisational terrain, and avant-garde exploration, lends rhythmic vibrancy. Together, the trio promises to interweave repertoire from Rives with chamber staples and Japanese airs, ensuring each performance resonates as both rooted and exploratory.
Tour dates 2025–2026
Fall 2025
- October 5, 2 pm
Maison de la culture Saint-Laurent, Montreal
• - October 12, 3 pm
Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal
• - November 29, 7:30 pm
Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal
Winter/Spring 2026
- January 18, 3 pm
Maison de la culture Pointe-Claire, Pointe-Claire
• - January 20, 5:30 pm
Conservatoire de Chicoutimi (Carte blanche with Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean), Chicoutimi
• - January 29, 8 pm
Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault, Saint-Jérôme
• - February 5, 7:30 pm
Maison de la culture Maisonneuve, Montreal
• - February 8, 11 am
Maison de la culture Dorval, Montreal
• - February 13, 7:30 pm
Le Vaisseau d’Art, Farnham
• - February 21, 8 pm
Alliance Française de Toronto, Toronto
• - March 28, 2 pm
Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay, Montreal
• - April 4, 7 pm
Victoria Hall, Westmount
• - April 12, 11 am
Centre culturel Marie-Fitzbach, Ville de Saint-Georges
• - May 7, 8 pm
Maison de la culture Waterloo, Waterloo
This tour is not simply a string of appearances but the unfolding of a musical odyssey. With Rives as its compass, the venture carries listeners across confluent waters – between traditions, genres, and continents.
Like the rivers it invokes, Isami’s music gathers tributaries into a single current, one that both honours her past and steers her confidently into new artistic territory.
Image: courtesy of Yuki Isami
