The Miho & Diego Duo
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The Miho & Diego Duo has been boldly blending Latino, Japanese, African and American musical traditions since 2006. Both accomplished musicians in their own right, Miho Takekawa and Diego Coy came together after years of admiring each other’s work and discovering that their sounds could be combined to make something genuinely new and unique. 

Fittingly, the title of their debut CD, "Quenarimba", combines the names of their primary instruments, the quena, a traditional Andean flute, and the marimba.  "Quenarimba" showcases their distinctive combination of warm, natural wood sounds and takes the listener on a musical trip from Japan to South America.

Playing a brand of music that is truly their own and not easily categorized, the Duo’s repertoire covers an amazingly wide range of styles with an innovative approach.  They play from an extensive catalog of Andean, traditional South American folk, Brazilian, Japanese, jazz and Latin jazz compositions, as well as original compositions.  The Duo has been invited to perform at festivals and venues all over Washington and California.  They received an invitation to perform in Japan by Kansai Band Association in October and November in 2007.  They visited five different cities, Tokyo, Kobe, Himi, Izumo and Kumamoto where they held concerts in Japanese, English and Spanish languages.  

The Miho & Diego Duo greatly respects the elders who gave them their music and they strive to take their music to the next step, to make it their own.

Miho & Diego Duo is a recipient of the King County 4Culture Special Program Grant 2007.

Miho Takekawa - Marimba/Piano

Her music has been heard at Benaroya Hall, Seattle Center, the Moore Theater, Meany Hall, Town Hall, and other venues in Washington. In 2005, she toured Japan with her jazz group from Seattle and formed a steel drum group in Sapporo, Japan. 

Miho has won numerous awards, including the highly competitive Boeing Scholarship, and was a 2006 Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship recipient.  She is co-author of A Composer's Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band.

Diego Coy - Quena/Zampona/Guitar/Vocal

Diego Coy is originally from Santiago de Cali, Colombia.  He began playing the quena and zampona in 1986 while studying at the Instituto Popular de Cultura in Armenia, Colombia. In 1990 he furthered his musical studies at Colombia's Universidad del Valle in Cali.  Since then, Diego has lived and traveled throughout Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina to learn the musical traditions and various wind instruments of native Andean cultures. He continuously perfects his craft and expands his knowledge of the myriad of Andean rhythms and instruments by returning to South America every year.

To this day, it is not uncommon for Diego to make his own wood instruments and then teach himself how to play them.

In 1997 he and Grupo Juglares were invited to represent Colombia at the Fiesta Latina music festival in South Carolina. That same year he played with Viva la Musica in Hiroshima, Japan at the famous Flower Festival.

He also performed with Viva la Musica as member and musical director at the Festival of Tolerance in Prague, Czech Republic.  Diego has since played in Italy, France, and numerous cities across the US.  He is a regular member of Grupo Samay, Los Flacos, Sin Fronteras and Marco Cortes.

Diego is a recipient of Quimbaya Award 2007 from Centro Cultural Hispano Americano
for excellence, contribution and achievements in the advancement of performing
arts, education and dedication to the world music and culture.

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Duo's Performance Experience

Flute Quest Festival 2006 in Kenmore, Festival Latino 2006 in Auburn,

White Center Music Night Series in White Center, Redmond Senior Center,

 Columbia City Art Walk in Columbia City, Hispanic Heritage Month Event in Olympia,

Seattle Fiestas Patrias in Seattle  Center, Country Village in Bothell, Guillermo’s (Palm Desert),

Pena Pacha Mama (San Francisco), Jubilante (Renton), Mi Tierra (Monroe), Egan’s Ballard Jam House,

El Pechugón, Seattle Public Library Immigrants and Refugee Program, Pacific Lutheran University

University of Washington Ethnic Cultural Theatre

Live performance at KBCS 91.3FM, Sabor, KBCS 91.3FM, El Lado Latino

Washington Hispanic Festival (Centralia) 

King County Library System, Everett Community College, University of Washington School of Music, Seattle City Hall, Bellevue Art Museum, Crossroads Bellevue, Pacific Lutheran University, Third Place Books at Lake Forest Park, Mount View Middle School, Seattle World Rhythm Festival. 

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