She is a woodwind Instructor brought in by Noboru Taki to help with the Kitauji Concert Band on its path to the national competition. Her main instrument is flute, which she majored in, but she is also highly proficient in all other woodwind instruments. She is the youngest of the four instructors directing the band who is described as gentle with a sweet personality and her woodwind students describe her as a firm but good teacher.

As nice as she is outside of class, Niiyama is revealed to be as strict as Taki and Hashimoto during rehearsal and sectionals, setting extremely high standards for her students and forcing them to practice for hours every day.

Students and best friends Mizore Yoroizuka and Nozomi Kasaki prepare to play a complex musical duet, Liz and the Blue Bird, for oboe and flute. Though they play beautifully together and have been friends since childhood, Mizore and Nozomi find that with graduation looming and the duet proving difficult, their friendship begins to buckle under the pressure. Interspersed with their story is the fantasy tale of Liz, drawn like a storybook, contrasting with the crisp realism of the school. 
 
(Source: Shout! Factory)

__Height:__ 158 cm

[Profile (Aoni)](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kuwashima-houko.html) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/roudokuya_dajai) | [Wiki (en)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houko_Kuwashima) | [Wiki (jp)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/桑島法子)

Houko Kuwashima is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her first major role was as Yurika Misumaru in Martian Successor Nadesico.

__Non-anime roles:__
- Android 21 - Dragon Ball FighterZ (VG)
- Presea Combatir - Tales of Symphonia (VG)
- Serenica - Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (VG)
- Kasumi - Dead or Alive series (VG)
- Roselinde Freya - Shining Blade (VG)
- Mei Ling - Metal Gear Series (VG)
- Jingliu - Honkai: Star Rail (VG)

[Website](https://www.actorryanbartley.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RyanBartley) | [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/actorryanbartley)

She studied at the DAMS (Disciplines of Arts, Music, and Performing Arts) program at Roma Tre University, specializing in Theatre Direction, and primarily works in theater. She has also participated in several short films and, in 2012, won the "Leggio d'Oro" award for dubbing in TV series.

With another tournament fast approaching, Kumiko's band is doubling down on practice and discipline, leaving little time for sleep or other recreational activities. The redoubled practice schedule brings Kumiko and Reina closer together, but elsewhere in the band, it seems like drama threatens to tear the group's unity apart. The ghost of the prior year's mass band exodus still haunts many of Kumiko's classmates, and with former band member Nozomi Kasaki now asking to return, it seems like the grudges of the past will soon be impossible to ignore. 

(Source: Anime News Network, edited)

 
Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

The next piece begins! Kumiko is now in her second year at Kitauji High School, and with a new year comes new problems. As if making it to Nationals wasn't hard enough, Kumiko is tasked with mentoring the concert band's troublesome first years – each with their own distinct personality and problems to solve. With Kumiko busy juggling both the concert band and her new role as senpai, how does her relationship with Shuuichi fit into the picture? 
 
(Source: Shout! Factory)

The third season of Hibike! Euphonium.
 
Kumiko's third year finally begins! With the concert band at Kitauji High School over 90 members, Kumiko is now the president and does her best with her final high school club activities to try to win her long-desired gold at nationals.
 
(Source: Crunchyroll, edited)

Satomi Niiyama