Yuki Rodrigues is a pianist and composer born in Osaka, Japan, to a Portuguese father and a Japanese mother. At the age of 15, she moved to Portugal alone, where she completed her higher education in piano at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. Today, her music represents the powerful fusion of her Japanese roots and the Portuguese culture she embraced. This fusion is the foundation of her concept of Namban – a term that describes the crossing between the East and the West, the journey between Japan and Portugal.

Yuki Rodrigues started composing at the age of 15, and her compositions reflect the richness of both cultures. Some of her earliest works, composed in her youth, still resonate with her today, and she revisits these pieces as a reminder of life's cyclical nature. Every new beginning is, in many ways, a reflection of the challenges and rewards of the past.

In 2003, Yuki Rodrigues began an intense chamber music project, particularly focusing on piano duets. She performed several concerts in Portugal, including one at the prestigious Coliseu de Lisboa, and also in Japan. The following year, in 2004, she recorded a CD featuring works by Portuguese and Japanese composers for solo piano. She also toured the Orient, participating in various performances in Portugal to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Wenceslau de Moraes.

At the age of 30, a neuromuscular injury forced her to step away from her musical career for 18 years. This period of silence was not just a personal challenge, but also a deep test of her resilience and ability to accept the unexpected. Yet, even in silence, her connection to music remained unbroken, and her passion for composition and performance eventually led her back to the stage. In 2005, she performed several concerts in Japan as part of the Aichi World Expo, representing the Portuguese Commission, and received the distinguished Order of Infante D. Henrique.

Her deep connection to music was inherited from her mother, who encouraged her to study the piano at a young age. This shared bond of love for music, across such different times and contexts, speaks to the tenacity required to follow an unconventional path – a path that, often, requires immense sacrifice. Yuki Rodrigues is profoundly grateful to her mother for this enduring inspiration.

Now, in 2023, Yuki Rodrigues is returning to the music scene with a project that marks the next chapter of her journey: Search for Eden - Travessia Namban. This album is dedicated to her Japanese origins and reflects the first encounter between Japan and Portugal, at the island of Tanegashima, a pivotal moment in the history of both nations. It is a tribute to the cultural fusion known as Namban – a beautiful and vital meeting between two distinct worlds. Through this project, Yuki Rodrigues embodies the heritage of both East and West, exploring the deep connection between these two cultures and the beauty that emerges when their differences are embraced.

With original compositions by Yuki Rodrigues, Search for Eden - Travessia Namban reflects her artistic journey and offers a fresh perspective on the fusion of cultures. The project marks a new milestone for Yuki Rodrigues, one that continues her personal and musical evolution, embracing the beauty of both worlds.