Young Achiever: Reina Fukushima

Two years ago, Reina Fukushima discovered she had an exceptional talent for musical composition. Although she’s been playing the piano for years, it wasn’t until she enrolled at Western International School Shanghai that she began to compose music. Under the tutelage of her music theory teacher, Fukushima’s musical repertoire has noticeably flourished. She recently won the grand prize at the opening ceremony of the Langham Hotel and will conduct her winning composition at the hotel on 2 December.  

Fukushima’s parents first enrolled her in piano lessons in Grade 3. “I just played piano for fun, I didn’t do it seriously,” says Fukushima. “I didn’t know I was going to compose until I came to [WISS].” It was during an assessment for her music theory course in Grade 10 that Fukushima says she came to “really enjoy” composition. Her inherent ability caught the attention of her music teacher who has fostered her talent ever since. 

For her personal project in Grade 10, Fukushima agreed to compose the school song, 'High In The Sky', featuring a cheerful melody and an arrangement of student vocalists. Before writing the song, Fukushima conducted a survey asking students around the school for possible lyrics they wished would be included.  “I chose some words I liked, then I combined them with my own,” she explains.

The high school student begins her compositions by writing a melody on the piano, then transferring it to a computer program. “I try to think of a theme that I have to express and then I decide on the emotion I want to communicate through the music,” says Fukushima. “For example, the composition for the Langham Hotel had to be graceful, very gentle and sophisticated so I used that image to guide me.”

The young composer also draws on classic composers for inspiration. When composing 'Fukushima Symphony No. 1 in C minor' she acknowledges being influenced by the prodigious Mozart. As an avid listener of Japanese pop music, she also incorporates some pop elements into her compositions.

While she is pleased with each of her compositions, Fukushima says that her highlight performance was arranging and conducting 'Believe' for a charity concert in 2010. All the proceeds from the event went towards supporting the Mifan Mama orphanage that was founded in 2009.