“Favorite of the Year”, quoted by the French newspaper, Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, Yoko Wende touched many hearts at her appearance at the international jazz festival, Au Gres du Jazz 2018 in France.  The festival director praised her as “The Japanese artist who turned a garden of France into a Zen Garden.”

 

Yoko conveys stories and emotions through her voice, which derives from her extensive performing arts background.  At age 21, she was admitted to The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York and performed in numerous plays, musical theatres, and dance performances at Carnegie Hall, La MaMa Theatre (off-off Broadway), to name a few.

 

In 2009, Yoko moved to Hong Kong where she focused on singing as a way of expression.  Her fame quickly grew as a jazz singer and she performed at jazz festivals and major concert halls including the Hong Kong City Hall and made regular appearance at all the top jazz clubs.  Time Out magazine called her "first-rate jazz singer”.

 

In summer 2019, she returned to Tokyo to further deepen her root and authenticity in her creation.  Her debut album, The Path of the Wind, is a collection of soulful compositions by Japanese composers such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Joe Hisaishi, arranged for a classical guitar and vocal duo.  One cannot help but be drawn in by the mystical guitar and Yoko’s melodic voice.