We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eri Isomura a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eri, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Other countries have different definitions of “regular jobs”, with pros and cons for all types, so I don’t drift too much from my current reality. If my parents never left Tokyo to move to Minnesota, my work opportunities and life outlook would be drastically different. I think I would still find my artistic outlet regardless of the economic environment in another universe. Still, I feel that I’m in one of the preferable universes where yes, I am happy AND I can make a living as a freelance artist.

My creative career fuels my personality and vice versa. I am highly extroverted and need to be moving around, talking to different people to feel productive. I am proud of being busy and being onto the next thing. Having multiple music-related jobs keeps me active in different facets of my brain, and my adaptability keeps me engaged in whatever task is at hand.

If I wonder why don’t I give it all up and get a “regular job” to ease my financial anxieties or my family’s worries, generally I run toward gratitude and peace, which is a big part of my spiritual identity. I know I’m lucky to have the opportunities I have, and worries will never go away no matter what I decide. Also, I’d hate to lose my mental and time capacity to focus on really cool projects that take a lot of time and commitment.

Eri, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! I’m a freelance percussionist and educator based in Minneapolis. I was raised classical and now am halfway between that and the contemporary scene as a marimba and percussion specialist.

In 2017, three musician friends and I founded 10th Wave Chamber Music Collective, an Asian American musician-led performing ensemble featuring living composers that are underrepresented and/or local to Minnesota. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we have 4 major concert series a year that are all free admission with suggested donation. Our administration is fully run by freelance musicians who also perform in the concerts. We create options for audiences that want casual environments like outdoor or breweries, as well as concert halls, because high quality classical music can be appreciated anywhere. We constantly work with composers to create new works, bring out fresh and captivating classical chamber music with dancers, non-Western artists, or visual artists. Many parts of running this group is hard but fulfilling work! How often do you see three Asian American women as the directors of a classical music group?

As an independent percussionist, I am drawn to artists and collaborators that have purpose and to building relationships with those that bring more beauty and compassion into this world through sound.
Classical percussion is both my undergrad and Masters’ degrees, so I frequently place myself in the percussion section of orchestras and collaborate with composers and classical musicians for world premieres and album recordings.
However, most of my performing is in one-off projects, so here is a recent work history of the past six months. You can see my bio for more specific info.

-Playing vibraphone using mallets and string bows for Cantus, an 8-person male vocal ensemble
-Composing my own piece for marimba and electronics, supported by grant funding
-Performing on drumset for a 16-show production by Theater Mu, an Asian American theater company
-Signing with Koide Cymbals as a Koide Cymbal Artist (support small businesses!)
-Performing a school assembly concert for 400 children featuring my solo works and a recent commission piece for Janggu (a Korean traditional drum) and Marimba
-Arranging for and directing large percussion ensembles (year-round) made up of 20 to 32 students in 4th-6th grade
-Recording a solo percussion album of works composed by Asuka Kakitani, “12 Months in Minnesota”

I am also president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and an artist in the Heartland Marimba Ensemble and indie-classical band Champagne Confetti (releasing an album in October 2023). Every single day is different, and I’m happy to say that I thrive in the challenges of adaptability, empathy, and tenacity. Life is unpredictable and exciting!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Injury. Between my undergrad and grad school years, due to strenuous rehearsing, performing and practicing, I was unable to play for even 2 minutes without pain in both wrists. After two years, with enough acupuncture and physical therapy, I was able to build up to one hour of playing a day, after which I was able to audition for graduate school. Meanwhile, I was able to live with my supportive parents, find part-time work that was not harmful to my hands, and find ways to thrive without any playing.

During this time I was able to meditate on a few things. Can I still be helpful in this world without performing any music? Can I be fully myself without a musical career? Can I listen to amazing music and not feel FOMO?

The answer is yes. Perhaps I had low standards for myself at that point, as if no matter how I fit into society, as long as I’m somehow validated by any of my accomplishments, I’d call it good. Or maybe it was high standards, that no matter what I did I would strive to overachieve, as that was part of who I was. (I sometimes still do.) Either way, I realized that performing music didn’t accomplish anything. It just expressed the current situation. Playing the right notes didn’t mean anything if you didn’t have anything to say with it.

When I was able to develop my playing again, I became less focused on proving myself to others and more on challenging myself to see the world with a bigger lens.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Freedom.

Freedom from feeling like someone is measuring me unfairly.
Freedom from being restricted to a certain definition of a percussionist.
Freedom from comparison.
Freedom from trying to make other people happy as the main mission.
Freedom from needing to wake up early for work every day (and all the other 9-5 job things).
Freedom from being undervalued.

Freedom to choose my collaborators.
Freedom to choose my projects and timeline (and all the other freelance job things).
Freedom to evaluate quality on my own terms.
Freedom to have authority over the quality of the final product.
Freedom to be passionate about something others may not care for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eriisomura.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eritempo3/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eriisomurapercussion/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eri-isomura-449b5088/
• Other: 10th Wave Official Website: https://www.10thwave.org/ Solo Album on Bandcamp: https://asukakakitani.bandcamp.com/album/twelve-months-in-minnesota Cello and Marimba Album on Bandcamp: https://eriisomura.bandcamp.com/album/musical-moments-for-cello-and-marimba

Image Credits
1. Cuppajoe Photography 5. Artwork by Kelsey Oseid 6. Bryan Murray