Midori Takada (高田みどり), born December 21, 1951, in Japan, is a percussionist and composer. She graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and began her career with the Berlin RIAS Symphonie-Orchester in the mid-1970s. Dissatisfied with Western classical music, Takada returned to Japan to study African drumming, Indonesian gamelan, and the early minimalism of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. She formed the Mkwaju Ensemble with Joe Hisaishi, Yoji Sadanari, Junko Arase, and Hideki Matsutake, releasing two albums in 1981: Mkwaju and Ki-Motion. In 1983, she recorded her first solo LP, Through The Looking Glass, performing all parts herself; although initially obscure, it became a collector's item in the late 2010s and was reissued in 2017. The renewed attention led to extensive performances across Europe, the United States, Australia, Israel, and Japan, as well as collaborations including Le Renard Bleu with Lafawndah and An Eternal Moment with Kang Tae Hwan.
