Hosokawa, Toshio
Toshio Hosokawa was born in 1955. Following initial studies in piano and composition in Tokyo, he came to Berlin in 1976 to study composition with Isang Yun at the Universität der Künste. He continued his studies with Klaus Huber at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg from 1983 to 1986. In 1980, he participated for the first time in the Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik where some of his compositions were performed. From 1989 to 1998, the composer was the artistic director and organiser of the annual Akiyoshidai International Contemporary Music Seminar and Festival in Yamagushi which he had co-founded. Since 2001, he has additionally been the artistic director of the Japanese Takefu International Music Festival in Fukuj. He was appointed permanent guest professor at the Tokyo College of Music in 2004. Hosokawa lives in Nagano, Japan and in Mainz, Germany.
Hosokawa’s compositions include orchestral works, solo concertos, chamber music and film music alongside works for traditional Japanese instruments.The orchestral work Circulating Ocean was composed in 2005 as a commission for the Salzburg Festival. Valery Gergiev conducted the world premiere in Salzburg.Woven Dreams is an award-winning work of Roche Commissions, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival in 2010 and won a BASCA British Composer Award in 2013. The Horn Concerto – Moment of Blossoming was written for the horn virtuoso Stefan Dohr, who premiered it with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle’s direction in 2011.
In the oratorio Voiceless voice in Hiroshima (1989/2000-01) for soloists, narrator, choir, accompanying tape (playback tape) (ad lib.) and orchestra, Hosokawa takes as his subject the devastating atomic bomb explosion at the end of the Second World War in the city of his birth. The composer approaches the unutterable through his extreme musical language – the brutal tonal world of brass and percussion and the colourful chordal landscape of the choir. A series of compositions for varying instrumentations is dedicated to the victims of Japan’s 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster. Meditation for orchestra evolves from a silent Meditation to an elegy while the brass and percussion instruments warn of the approaching tsunami in the background.
His first opera Vision of Lear was premiered at the Münchener Biennale in 1998. Hosokawa succeeds in bridging East and West in his Shakespeare adaptation: modern European musical theatre meets the Japanese traditions of Nō-Theatre on the basis of the Renaissance play. Hosokawa’s second opera, Hanjo, was first staged at the Festival in Aix-en-Provence in 2004, followed by further performances in Brussels, Hamburg, Lisbon, Bielefeld, Lyon, Tokyo and Milan. Woven Dreams is an award-winning work of Roche Commissions, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival in 2010. His third opera Matsukaze premiered at La Monnaie Brussels in 2011 (Sasha Waltz, staging). Hosokawa also wrote the opera Stilles Meer in response to these terrible events. It was commissioned by Hamburg State Opera and saw its premiere conducted by Kent Nagano in January 2016. Many works were premiered under the baton of the world’s leading conductors: Kazushi Ono, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, and Robin Ticciati, among others. Many of the works mentioned above have become an important part of the contemporary repertoire.
Hosokawa has received numerous awards and prizes: Among them the first prize in the composition competition for the 100th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker (1982), the Arion Music Prize (1984), the Kyoto Music Prize (1988) and the Rheingau Music Prize (1998). From 1998 to 2007 he was Composer in Residence at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Hosokawa was appointed member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin in 2001. In 2006/07 and 2008/09, he undertook a period of research at the Institute for Advanced Study [Wissenschaftskolleg] in Berlin. He was Composer in Residence at the Biennale di Venezia (1995, 2001), the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (1998-2007), the International Music Festival of Lucerne (2000), musica viva in Munich (2001), Musica nova Helsinki (2003), Warsaw Autumn (2005, 2007) and others. He was Artistic Director of the Suntory Hall International Program for Music Composition from 2012-2015.
Concert Producer
Itoh, Kei
Ms. Kei Itoh is the first Japanese to have ever won the first prize at the 1983 Munich International Piano Competition. She began studies on the piano from childhood under Ms. Kazuo Ariga. Graduating in 1977 from Tokyo’s renowned Toho Gakuen High School, she pursued her further studies in Europe at Salzburg’s Mozarteum Conservatory and under Hans Leygraf at the Hannover Conservatory.
Her Munich debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper Orchestra under the baton of Wolfgang Sawallisch led to subsequent engagements in Europe with the Frankfurter Rundfunk Orchestra, Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic, and Ms. Itoh now performs regularly in Europe with orchestras such as the Czech Philharmonic, as well as with all the major Japanese orchestras: NHK Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra etc.
In constant demand as a recitalist, Kei Itoh is known as a particularly fine interpreter of the romantic composers as well as the French repertoire. She recently has completed an 8-year series of annual concerts devoted to the music of Schumann. She gave recitals concentrated in Schubert’s works for eight years from 2008.
A prolific recording artist, Ms. Itoh has released thirteen CDs of music by Schumann in a series entitled Schumanniana on the Fontec label. Other CDs on the same label include two recordings of Brahms Concerto No. 1, a recording Brahms Concerto No. 2 and Ravel’s Concerto in G major, the Chopin Études, a collection of music by Poulenc, a CD featuring works by Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, among others.
A keen chamber musician, Ms. Itoh often partners violinists Tsugio Tokunaga, with whom she has recorded the complete Beethoven and Brahms sonatas, and Tomoko Kato, with whom she released a CD of sonatas by French composers.
Ms. Itoh is a regular guest performer in NHK television’s Meikyoku Classics (Well-known Classics) series, and her engaging personality made her a popular radio host on the much-loved NHK programme O-shaberi Classics (Classic Chat), introducing classical music in a relaxed manner.
In 1993 she was awarded the 19th Annual award of the Japan Chopin Association and a year later received the Cultural Arts Support Award of the City of Yokohama in recognition of her services to classical music.
Since 2003, she has been engaged as Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. She also teachs at Toho Gakuen College Music Department.
Performers
Berwaerts, Jeroen (Trumpet)
Jeroen Berwaerts played his solos with astounding virtuosity, eloquence, and deep emotion: a compelling realisation of great music. DIE WELT
Belgian trumpeter Jeroen Berwaerts (b. 1975) is a musical force to be reckoned with whose all-embracing love of music knows no boundaries of genre. Praised for his outstanding technical capabilities and sensitive musicality, his repertoire encompasses every epoch, from baroque music to contemporary music and jazz. He has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and the Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen under conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Yakov Kreizberg, Jun Märkl and Matthias Pintscher.
His recent concert highlights include the Dutch premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s second trumpet concerto Im Nebel with the Philharmonie Zuidnederland, as well as the Belgian premiere of Francesco Filidei’s Carnevale. Jeroen Berwaerts gave the world premieres of both works in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Other highlights include performing at the opening of the chamber music hall of the “Malmö Live” concert and congress centre with the brass section of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the creation of the Signals from Heaven programme, the continuation of his collaboration with the Ensemble Resonanz and his recent performances in Japan.
Jeroen Berwaerts is only the second trumpeter worldwide – after Håkan Hardenberger, for whom the work was written – to add HK Gruber’s Busking (2007) to his repertoire. His performances of this virtuosic trumpet concerto at the First Hamburg International Music Festival and Bregenz Festival in the summer of 2014 garnered high praise.
As well as his burgeoning trumpet career, Jeroen Berwaerts has completed jazz vocal studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. He has developed several programmes with piano, strings, organ and brass ensemble in which he combines trumpet and voice as well as classical, jazz and other genres in a truly unique way. Jeroen Berwaerts’ open-mindedness and resplendent playing have brought him invitations to internationally renowned music festivals, including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Niedersächsische Musiktage, Takefu International Music Festival in Japan, Ars Musica in Belgium, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Rheingau Musik Festival.
Jeroen Berwaerts’ discography was recently complemented with the addition of a recording of Paul Hindemith’s trumpet sonata with Alexander Melnikov. The award-winning CD, released on Harmonia Mundi, features a number of the composer’s sonatas, among them the violin sonata with Isabelle Faust. He previously collaborated with Melnikov on the 2012 recording of Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Teodor Currentzis, also on Harmonia Mundi. In the same year, NEOS released a recording of Toshio Hosokawa’s Voyage VII featuring him as soloist with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.
Jeroen Berwaerts studied in Karlsruhe with the celebrated trumpet-virtuoso Reinhold Friedrich. He has been awarded numerous prizes from competitions such as the Concours Maurice André and the Prague Spring International Music Competition (both 1997).
Since 2008, Jeroen Berwaerts has been a Professor of Trumpet at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover. He is a Yamaha Artist.
Caroli, Mario (Flute)
Mario Caroli started the flute at the age of 14 and he got his soloist diploma only five years later, when he was 19. He studied with Annamaria Morini and he has been deeply influenced by the great Austrian flutist Manuela Wiesler.
At the age of 22, he won in Darmstadt the very coveted international prize “Kranchstein”, which allows him to start a very intense solo career, thanks to an incredible capability of adapting to any kind of repertoire, and particularly developped all over Europe, USA and Japan.
His activity starts, as a logical prosecution of the Darmstadt Prize, as an advocate of contemporary music: his fame develops very quickly, and he becomes the preferred interpreters of some of the most important composers of our time. Salvatore Sciarrino, Gyorgy Kurtag, Doina Rotaru, Toshio Hosokawa, Ivan Fedele, Kaija Saariaho, Joji Yuasa and many others write for him beautiful solo pieces and flute concertos, which significantly help the development of the solo flute literature.
After years dedicated exclusively to this activity, his career turns again toward to the wide repertoire, without distinction of styles. This makes his figure completely apart from all the other soloists, absolutely unique and always surprising for his always new and fresh approach to his interpretations, who posses any incredible virtuosity as well as a vibrant personality. The critics have unanimously talked about him as a “phenomenon” for his overwhelming interpretations of Bach, Schubert or Debussy, and the “New York Times” has underlined the exceptional quality of his sound, by writing that “you would drink in”.
Regularly present in the most prestigious festivals all over the world, Mario has performed at the Berlin and Cologne Philharmonie, at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, at Wiener Konzerthaus, at Royal Festival Hall in London, at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, at the Lincoln Center in New York, Scala of Milano, al Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, at the Herkulessaal in Münich or at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He has been a soloist invited by orchestras such Philhamonia in London, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestras of the Italian (RAI), German (WDR, SWR) and Roumanian Radio, Orchestre National de Belgique, Icelandic National Orchestra, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Aukso Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Opera Houses of Bari, Cagliari, Verona, Rouen and Stuttgart, the Neue Vocalsolisten, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, the Ensemble Contrechamps of Geneva, under the baton of very important conductors.
Mario has recorded about 40 cds, which got countless prizes from the critics. Invited for masterclasses and seminars from very important musical Institutions through the world, like the “FROMM” residency at Harvard University (Cambridge, USA) in 2008. A cosmopolitan and polyglot artist (he regularly speaks six languages), Mario lives in France, in Strasbourg, where he teaches flute at the Académie Supérieure the Musique and he hold the chair for flute at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg, one of the most prestigious flute position of the world. He got a PhD in Philosophy, and he plays a Miyazawa platinum flute.
Eerens, Ilse (Soprano)
Belgian soprano Ilse Eerens began her vocal studies at the age of 14 at the Lemmens Institute in Belgium. She was accepted to the New Opera Academy in The Netherlands in 2002, and graduated with her bachelor and master degrees in 2004 with Jard van Nes.
Recent and future highlights include her return at Theater an der Wien as Matilda in Donizetti’s Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, Celia in Mozart’s Lucio Silla with the Insula Orchestra in a tour through Europe in venues such as Opéra Royal de Versailles, Grand Théâtre de Provence d’Aix-en-Provence, Theater an der Wien and the Philharmonie de Paris, her role-debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Orchestra of the 18th Century, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem in a tour through Europe with the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées under the baton of Philippe Herreweghe and the world premiere of a newly composed work by Toshio Hosokawa for 2 Sopranos and Orchestra with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra with concerts in Tokyo, Luxemburg and Berlin. She recently enjoyed a major success as Marianne, the main role in Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, the new opera of Austrian composer HK Gruber at the Bregenzer Festspiele 2014 and at Theater an der Wien.
A highly demanded concert singer, Ilse Eerens has appeared with many leading orchestras such as the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, Brussels Philharmonic and the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa. Works on her concert repertoire include i.a. Bach’s Passions, Oratorios and Cantatas, Händel’s Messiah and Fauré’s Requiem. She recorded Dvořák’s Requiem and Stabat Mater with Philippe Herreweghe, which was awarded “Record of the Month” in July 2013 by Gramophone Magazine.
Gringolts, Ilya (Violin)
The Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts wins over audiences with his extremely virtuosic playing and sensitive interpretations, and is always looking for new musical challenges. As a sought-after soloist, he devotes himself to the great orchestral repertoire but also to contemporary and seldom-played works. He has premiered compositions by Peter Maxwell Davies, Christophe Bertrand and Michael Jarrell and is interested in historical performance practice as well.
Ilya Gringolts has performed with leading orchestras around the world, such as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, NHK Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony and Warsaw Philharmonic amongst others, and been invited to prestigious halls including the Berliner Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, or the Concertgebouw Amsterdam to name but a few. In 2016/17, highlights include his debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony with Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and a tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of his former teacher Itzhak Perlman.
As a keen chamber musician, Ilya Gringolts collaborates with artists such as Yuri Bashmet, David Kadouch, Itamar Golan, Peter Laul, Aleksandar Madzar, Nicolas Altstaedt, Andreas Ottensamer, Antoine Tamestit and Jörg Widmann. He is also the first violinist of the Gringolts Quartet, which he founded in 2008 and which enjoys great success with performances at the Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad and Teatro La Fenice in Venice among others.
Following numerous critically praised recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon, BIS and Hyperion labels, Ilya Gringolts devoted himself to the chamber music of Robert Schumann from 2010 to 2011, releasing three CDs on Onyx. In 2013/14 his recording of Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin on Orchid Classics received many outstanding reviews. In the orchestral realm, he caught audiences’ and critics’ attention in spring 2015 with his recording of Mieczysław Weinberg’s Violin Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. In November 2016 his new CD, Dvořák: A Bohemian Rhapsody, with Prague Philharmonia has been released on Deutsche Grammophon.
Kuhn, Hans Peter (Sound)
born 1952 in Kiel (DE), composer and artist, lives and works in Berlin and Amino (Kyoto, JP). His light and sound installations are exhibited in many museums and galleries or on public sites worldwide, among others at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Centre Pompidou Paris, Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin, Seattle Art Museum, Tokushima Modern Art Museum. The installation “Memory Loss” by Robert Wilson and Hans Peter Kuhn was awarded with the Golden Lion in Venice 1993. He worked for theatre with directors like Luc Bondy, Claus Peyman, Peter Zadek, Peter Stein and is best known for the music and sound environments he created in the long term collaboration with Robert Wilson. He composed the music for dances by Laurie Booth, Dana Reitz, Suzushi Hanayagi, Sasha Waltz and Junko Wada. For this he received the Bessie Award New York and the Suzukinu Hanayagi Award Osaka. Hearing and listening are the themes of his performances, that are shown worldwide. Since 2012 he is Guest professor for Sound Studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
Pestalozza, Andrea (Conductor)
Already from an early age on, Andrea Pestalozza was an assiduous and habitual frequenter to the most important Italian composers such as Berio, Nono, Donatoni, Sciarrino, and Bussotti and became a profound scholar of modern music.
After a period of time as a percussionist and a pianist he made his debut as a concert conductor when he conducted the Ensemble Orfeo, founded by himself, after which followed Berio’s invitation to conduct the Orchestre National de France in Paris.
In 1990 he met Kurtág for the first time and the meeting was to leave an indelible mark on his approach to interpreting. Having conducted Messages of the Late R.V. Troussova in Paris, with the Ensemble Itinéraire, he was invited by Kurtag to conduct the UMZE and the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Budapest during a festival to honour his eightieth birthday.
He has conducted the most prestigious ensembles as Scharoun Ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker, MusikFabrik, Itineraire, Oslo Sinfonietta, Ensemble UnitedBerlin etc. in the prestigious institutions of Paris, Berlin (Festwochen, Konzerthaus), London, Milan (Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra RAI), Florence (Maggio Musicale), Venice (Teatro la Fenice), Brandenburger Symphoniker, etc.
During the festival Milano Musica 2009 he presented Toshio Hosokawa’s masterpiece Voiceless Voice in Hiroshima with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and the Hiroshima chorus, in 2010 Cassandra by Jarrell with the Sharoun Ensemble and Fanny Ardent and in 2011 Concertini by Helmut Lachenmann with the Orchestra Verdi of Milan.
He had his debut at the Salzburger Biennale in 2011 with the OENM, Oesterreichischer Ensemble fur Neue Musik, in 2012 he conducted the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berliner Philarmoniker at La Scala in Milan and in 2013 he conducted the Musik Fabrik Ensemble in Stuttgart.
He has also had a principle role in the organizing of musical events and was artistic director of Milano Musica.
He has worked with eminent musicians including Cathy Berberian, Sara Mingardo, Luisa Castellani, Renaud Capucon, Luigi Gaggero, and conducted in the presence of Nono, Donatoni, Berio, Kurtág, Hosokawa, Dufourt, Lachenmann, Seither compositions of theirs.
He has recorded CD’s of piano compositions by Janacek and Marij Kogoj (Dynamic), …quasi una fantasia… for piano and orchestra by Kurtág conducted by Zoltan Pesko (Ricordi) and Vanitas by Salvatore Sciarrino (Ricordi).
Recently a CD (Stradivarius) has been published dedicated to Hosokawa with the Saarbruecken Radio Orchestra and a DVD of the opera Mr. Me by Luca Mosca performed for the very first time in Venice.
He studied the piano with Martha Del Vecchio, orchestral conducting with Piero Bellugi, percussion playing with Franco Campioni and David Searcy and composition with Salvatore Sciarrino.
Aile String Quartet
Yamane, Kazuhito (Violin)
Born in 1995, Kazuhito Yamane started to learn violin at age 5. In 2010, he won the first prize at the 79th Music Competition of Japan. He was the youngest winner in the past 26 years and he was also awarded Iwatani and Masuzawa Awards at the same time. His newsworthy debut at the competition immediately lead him to appearances with several Japanese orchestras such as NHK Symphony and New Japan Philharmonic among others. In summer of 2016, he performed Tchaikovsky Concerto with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet. In 2014, Kazuhito was the youngest to be invited to perform at Toppan Hall Espoir Series for 3 seasons. He was often featured on NHK ad Asahi TV and Radio programs as a rising star.
He has been honored with the Youth Award from Iwatani Foundation in 2012 as well as Aoyama Music Youth Award and Idemitsu Music Award in 2015. Yamane is a recipient of Ezoe Memorial Scholarship through Rohm Music Foundation.
Having studied as a full scholarship student in Toho High School of Music, and Toho Gakuen College of Music Soloist Diploma Course, Kazuhito is currently studying with Christoph Poppen at Munich University for Music and Theater.
Mohri, Fumika (Violin)
Fumika Mohri was born in Japan in 1994 and began playing the violin at the age of three. She has studied with Kaori Tajiri, Sachika Mizuno, and Koichiro Harada. In 2014 she completed the Soloist Diploma Course of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Since October 2015 she has been studying as a Young Soloist at the Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin.
She has won prizes in numerous competitions inside and outside Japan. In 2012 she won the first prize in the Seoul International Music Competition becoming the youngest ever and very first Japanese first-prize winner in the history of the competition. In 2015 she won the second prize in the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition and also the sixth prize in the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition.
As a soloist, she has performed with major orchestras such as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Korean Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the OrchestreNational de Belgique and the Brussels Philharmonic. She has appeared in several music festivals such as the TakefuInternational Music Festival (Japan), the Cervo Festival (Italy) and the Kronberg Academy Festival (Germany). In 2013 she gave a recital tour in South Korea.
Tahara, Ayako (Viola)
Japanese violist Ayako Tahara born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1994. She studied the viola at the Toho Gakuen High School of Music and Toho Gakuen College of Music with Hamao Fujiwara and Nobuo Okada. Also chamber music studied under Koichiro Harada and Kazuoki Fujii, Hakuro Mohri, Katsurako Mikami, Nobuko Yamazaki and Kazuhide Isomura. After graduated the Toho Gakuen College, she is studying Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Bruno Pasquier since 2016.
Won the first prize at 10th Tokyo Music Competition with Special Audience Prize and 9th International Romania Music Competition with Rumanian national radio station prize and the grand prix in 2013. This is the highest award through six branches.
And joined the Viola Master Class in Otaru, Viola Space, Ozawa Iternational Camber Music Academy in Okushiga, Great Mountains Music Festival & School by the scholarship. She has also participated in masterclasses with Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, Hartmut Rohde, Diemut Poppen, Máté Szűcs, Masao Kawasaki and Ryo Sasaki.
Ayako Tahara performed concertos for solist with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. And appeared in the radio program NHK-FM “ Recital NOVA “ and in the TV program “Intitled Concert”, NHK-BS Premium “ Classical Music Club “of public broadcasting NHK of the Japanese top. She get the scholarship from Rohm Music Foundation and Japan Foundation of Musicans from 2015.
Ueno, Michiaki (Cello)
Born in Paraguay. Michiaki started his cello study at the age of five. He spent his childhood in Barcelona (Spain), where he won several prizes at competitions. After returning to Japan, at the age of eleven, he gave his first concerto performance at the Suntory Hall, playing the Lalo Cello Concerto in 2007. Later in 2009, he became the first Japanese to win the first prize at the sixth International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. A year later, he won the first prize at the sixth Romanian International Music Competition along with several special awards. His most recent title has been the first prize at the twenty-first International Johannes Brahms Competition. As a soloist, he has performed with numerous orchestras nationally and internationally, such as the New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and the Russian Symphony Orchestra among others. Michiaki has been generously supported by the “Iwatani Tokiko Foundation”, the “Japan Federation of Musicians”, “Rohm Music Foundation” and “The Ezoe Memorial Foundation”. In 2017, he received the Aoyama Music Youth Award as a promising young musician. He studied at the Toho Gakuen Music High School, continuing his studies at Soloist Diploma Course, both with a full scholarship under the tutelage of Hakuro Mori. From 2015, he is pursuing his study at Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf with Pieter Wispelwey.
Menagerie Brass Quintet
Menagerie Brass Quintet was formed in April 2012. It’s members got their degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts(TUA).They learned from prof.Hiroki Tochimoto(former Trumpet of The NHK Symphony Orchestra) and masterclass from Timothy Morrison(former Principal Trumpet of The Boston Symphony Orchestra)
They won the international competition in Jeju(South Korea,2015),and had several recitals in Japan,South Korea,China.
The repertoire pieces from the Renaissance period to arrangements and works written for brass quintets to the most recent contemporary pieces and is constantly expanding. They gladly play pop music pieces, among which everybody can find their favorite whether it be soundtrack from a film, ragtime or Latin jazz.
Kanemaru, Kyoko (Trumpet)
Furudoi, Yuki (Trumpet)
Yamada, Kazuki (Horn)
Shintaro Takase (Trombone)
Tamura, Yuya (Tuba)
Akasaka, Tomoko (Viola)
Tomoko Akasaka won numerous prizes, among them the 1st prize at the 12th Japan classical music competition and the 3rd prize at the 53th Munich International music competition.
Tomoko Akasaka has performed as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. As a soloist she has appeared with the Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Muenchener Kammerorchester, the Orchestre de chamber de Genève, the Filarmonica banatul timisoara, the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, the Kremerata Baltica, the Ensemble Contrechamps,and the Japan Symphony orchestra under the baton of conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Johannes Kalitzke, Raman Kofman, Kazuki Yamada, Gheorghe Costin, Olivier Cuendet and Günther Herbig.
She has recently given a widely acclaimed series of recitals in Japan, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Germany amongst others. The series of Recitals in Geneva and Tokyo has been broadcasted by Swiss Romande, and NHK-TV.
Her chamber music partners included Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Hope, Gidon Kremer, Heinz Holliger, Menahem Pressler, Charles Neidich, Kuss Quartet at international music festivals such as Salzburg Festival Lockenhaus Festival, Bad-Kissingen sommer, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, BBC Proms, Saito-Kinen Festival, Pablo Casals Festival, Luzern and Verbier Festival, Zagreb Chamber music festival, Kronberg Cello Festival, Rio de Janeiro Festival, San Francisco Musical days, Schubertiade and others.
Tomoko Akasaka has performed at concert venues including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Berlin, Royal Albert hall in London, Vienna Konzerthaus, Zurich Tonhalle, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Schloss Nymphenburg Munich, Shanghai Grand Theater,and National Centre for the performing arts in Beijing, Geneva Victoria Hall and Grand Théâtre,
Her recent collaboration with the composer György Kurtág has had a profound influence on her work as a musician.
Tomoko Akasaka studied with Nobuko Imai for whom she worked for as an assistant professor at the Geneva conservatory of music. In addition Ms. Akasaka worked as a guest professor at the conservatory of Neuchâtel. Currently she lives in Berlin.
Hemmi, Yasutaka (Violin)
Born in Matsue, Japan, HEMMI is one of the most dynamic and active violinists for contemporary music in Japan. He has been invited to many international festivals and given literally dozens of premieres. He has invented new techniques for the violin and collaborated with composers, dancers, visual artists, actors and many others. From 2001 to 2003, he was a member of Champ d’Action (Belgium), and from 2003, he has been a member of ‘next mushroom promotion’ (Osaka). His solo CD ‘Violin Encounters’ was released through Megadisc (Belgium) in 2004. HEMMI’s performances are also available on numerous CDs or DVDs.
Hirayama, Rina (Alt)
Rina Hirayama is from Tokyo. Graduated from vocal music department of Tokyo University of the Arts. She completed the master’s course (opera) of the same graduate school. She won an Ataka Prize in her third year of university, an Acanthus Award and a voicing society prize at her undergraduate, and a postgraduate Acanthus Award when she complete master’s. She performs at many concerts as a soloist. She first appeared in Takefu International Music Festival in 2016 as an alto soloist. She sings many religious songs as a soloist. She was selected in the 13th Tokyo Music Competition and received Audience Award. She studies under Hirokazu Suzuki, Machiko Ohara, Keiro Ohara and Chieko Teratani.
Imagawa, Hiroyo (Piano)
Hiroyo Imagawa completed study at State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart and Mozarteum University in Salzburg, earning her master’s degree with highest honor. She is a Prize-winner of several international competitions: the 1st Prize and the special Debussy Prize at the Piano Competition “Cittàdi Salerno” in 2002, and the same year she won the 2nd Prize at the J. Brahms Competition,followed by the 3rd Prizeat the Anton Rubinstein Piano Competition in 2003 and the 2nd Prize at the Schubert Piano Competition in 2005. Being a distinguished soloist,she was invited by NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra,Japan Century Orchestra,Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, Venezuela Symphony Orchestra,Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra,and St.Petersburg Stage Symphony Orchestra of the Mussorgski Theaters.She started teaching at the Osaka University of Arts Visiting Associate Professor since 2015.
Ito, Yumi (Clarinet)
Yumi Ito is a New York-based clarinet player; she performs as a soloist, a chamber musician and an orchestral player throughout the world, mainly in the U.S. and in Japan. After receiving BA from Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo studying with Masaharu Yamamoto, she has completed MA program at Manhattan School of Music under the direction of Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima. Achievements in the international competitions include the 42nd International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade (2nd prize, with an additional special prize for the best performance of the compulsory piece), the 11th KOBE International Student Music Competition (1st prize), the 2nd International Clarinet Competition in Ghent (finalist), the 11th Tokyo Music Competition (finalist), and the 84th Music Competition of Japan (finalist), to count a few.
Yumi has appeared in major concert halls such as the Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center (Alice Tully Hall) in New York; Opera City and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Camerata Serbica, the Brussels Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Manchester Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to her career as a solo player, Yumi is enthusiastic in her activities as a chamber player. She has toured to Hungary and Italy with her ensemble in 2008. She is a member of “NY Licorice Ensemble”; they have released three CDs to introduce contemporary works by composers from all over the world to Japan.
Kasai, Tomoko (Percussion)
Kasai Tomoko was born and raised in Hyogo pref.
She has received bachelor’s and master’s degree at Osaka College of Music.
She is active in orchestras and chamber music and contemporary music.
She is participating in the Takefu International Music Festival and a lot of other music festivals, also she teaches at music university and high schools.
Kitamura, Tomoki (Piano)
Born in Aichi in 1991, Tomoki Kitamura began playing the piano at the age of three. Since his early years he has won prizes at several piano competitions including the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in 2004, Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2006, Sydney International Piano Competition in 2008 and first prize and the Grand Jury Prize at the prestigious Tokyo Music Competition in 2005.
He started his career as a recital pianist in 2005 and has been invited by many festivals such as the “Tokyo Summer Festival”, “La Folle Journeé” etc, as well as giving an increasing number of recitals in France and Germany.
As a concerto pianist, he has played with many orchestras in Japan including the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Nagoya Symphony Orchestra.
His broadcast appearances include “Untitled Concert” (TV Asahi), “Piano-Pia” (NHK).
Tomoki Kitamura graduated from the Meiwa High School in Aichi and moved to Berlin since 2011 October. Currently he studies under Rainer Becker at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Also he studies harpsichord and fortepiano under Mitzi Meyerson.
Matsumura, Takayo (Harp)
Born in Osaka, Japan, she began playing the piano at the age of 3 and graduated from Soai University (Faculty of Music). After studying at University,she began playing the harp. She is now a free-lance harpist and her activities incorporate solo, chamber ensemble and orchestral performances. She is a member of the violin and the harp duo‘X[iksa]’ with violonist Yasutaka Hemmi, and has performed about 400 times including performances in South Korea, Australia, South Africa and Canada. Along with X[iksa], she is also a member of the harp duo ‘Farfalle’, with sister Eri Matsumura, and has performed in a range of contexts including the Arles International Harp Festival and the NHK-FM Recital. She has released six CDs. She has given numerous first performances, and as an arranger, she has expanded the repertoire of harp music.
Miyata, Mayumi (Sho)
Mayumi Miyata is distinguished by being one of the first artists to bring the traditional Oriental instrument the SHO, to worldwide recognition. Through her virtuoso performances around the world, Ms. Miyata’s artistry has helped expand awareness of the SHO both in Japan and overseas and she can be credited with making it widely recognized not only as a traditional instrument but one that has a valid place in contemporary music.
Having graduated from Kunitachi College of Music in piano, Ms. Miyata studied ‘Gagaku’, (Ancient Japanese Court Music), and in 1979 joined the Gagaku ensemble at the National Theater of Japan. Since her debut Tokyo recital in 1983, she has been active as a soloist and stunned audiences with her performances in Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Seattle and Milan (La Scala), Vienna (Konzerthaus) and at festivals such as Salzburg, Luzern, Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Avignon, Tanglewood, London Proms, Milano Musica, Festival d’Automne a Paris, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wien Modern, Octobre en Normandie, Darmstadt International Summer Course, Festival Extasis (Geneva), Musica Viva (Munich), Musik Aktive (Dortmund), Orleans International Music Week, Pacific Music Festival Sapporo, Takefu International Music Festial and Akiyoshidai International Contemporary Music Festival.
Although the SHO has its origins in Gagaku, and it is this music with which it is traditionally associated, Mayumi Miyata is highly acclaimed for her performances of compositions by many of the world’s leading contemporary composers. She has worked particularly closely with John Cage, having performed the world premiere of all of Cage’s Two3 for SHO and Conch in Italy in 1992, and is also associated with composers such as Toru Takemitsu, Toshio Hosokawa, Helmut Lachenmann, Paul Méfano, Klaus Huber, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Zsigmond Szathmáry, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Maki Ishii, and Joji Yuasa, having been invited to premiere many of their works. Such highlights include major works such as Takemitsu’s evocative “Ceremonial -An Autumn Ode-” with Seiji Ozawa and the Saito Kinen Orchestra and Hosokawa’s “Utsurohi Nagi” performed with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne in 1996 and Hosokawa’s “Could and Light” with Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern in 2008. In 1997 Ms. Miyata participated in the tremendously successful world premiere in Hamburg of Lachenmann’s major operatic work “The Little Match Girl”, which was followed by performances at Staatstheater Stuttgart, Opera de Paris, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Ruhr Triennale. In 2007 Ms. Miyata has premiered Gerhard Stabler’s new work for SHO and Orchestra in Duisburg.
Furthermore her recent orchestra engagements include BBC Symphony Orchestra with Kazushi Ono, Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie with Kazushi Ono, NHK Symphony Orchestra with Charles Dutoit for their European tour in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vienna, Munich and Berlin, New York Philharmonic with André Previn, PMF International Orchestra with PMF International Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bamberger Symphoniker with Jonathan Nott, Orchestre National de Lyon with Jun Maerkl, Munich Chamber Orchestra with Alexander Liebreich.
Highlights of Ms. Miyata’s career include such diverse engagements as her performance of the Japanese National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games and her work with Björk on the soundtrack to Matthew Barney’s film Drawing restraint 9, in which she appears playing her instrument.
She was nominated as cultural ambassador by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and as such toured Europe giving concerts, workshops and collaborating with local artists and composers, promoting knowledge of the SHO overseas.
Miyashita, Daiki (Tenor)
He is from Kanagawa prefecture. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, vocal music course and the graduate of the same university. He won the doseikai prize when he graduated undergraduate. He won the first prize in the 26th fraternity German Lied Competition and received the Minister of Education Award, and the Schubert Award. He had an opportunity of studying in Vienna as an extra prize. He was selected at the 85th Japan Music Competition Vocal Music Section Final Competition. He was the soloist of ” Messiah, Tokyo University of the Arta” in 2013, Bach “Christmas Oratorio” at the 2014 Chorus concert, and Mozart “Requiem” at the same concert in 2015. In addition, he works as a soloist for Buxtehude “We are the limbs of Jesus”, Beethoven “No. 9”, Verdi “Requiem”. He studied under Katsunori Kono.
Mizuno, Yuya (Cello)
Yuya Mizuno was born in Tokyo in 1998.
He has been learning to play the cello since he was six.
He has received several awards in competitions held in Japan.
In 2014, he won the Third Prize in the 83rd Music Competition of Japan and in 2015, he won the First Prize and Audience Award in the 13th Tokyo Music Competition.
He graduated from Toho Gakuen Music High School at the top of the class and entered the Soloist Diploma Course of Toho Gakuen College on a scholarship. Now he studies under Prof. Sumiko Kurata.
He is also on a scholarship from the Ezoe Memorial Foundation.
Yuya Mizuno played the cello as a soloist with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Japan Virtuoso Symphony Orchestra in famous music halls in Japan, such as Suntory Hall and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. In 2016, he also performed a solo recital in Tokyo and Shizuoka.
He is a promising young Japanese cellist.
Nakagawa, Ken’ichi (Piano)
Ken’ichi Nakagawa, piano Born in Miyagi pref., Japan, Ken’ichi Nakagawa graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music. He majored piano and conducting. He moved to Belgium to study piano under Robert Groslot and pianoforte under Jos Vam Immerseel at Kroni nkijk Vlaams Concervatorium van Antwerpen, where he finished the High Diploma with Great distinction in 1995, and the Specialization also with Great distinction in 1997. Nakagawa was awarded third prize at the Gaudeamus International Competition in interpreting works in Rotterdam. He plays in Belgium as soloist, chamber music and contemporary music as well as with the Ictus Ensemble, Champ d’action as pianist and assistant conductor. He participated in the Ars Musica Festival in Bruselles and Roymont Festival in Paris. In Japan, he is on high demand as a concert of soloist, chamber musician, and as a conductor in chamber ensemble and chamber operas as well as a member of the Ensemble Nomad, contemporary music ensemble.
Oishi, Masanori (Saxophone)
Receiving his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (now Tokyo Unversity of the Arts), Oishi went to France to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 2001. He graduated with top honors (mention très bien) in saxophone, chamber music, and free improvisation. The same year he advanced to the school’s 3rd level Chamber Music Course (Classe de Musique de Chambre, 3e cycle de perfectionnement), completing it in 2007. From 2002 to 2004 he studied on a research grant from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs in their Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists.
Before returning to Japan in 2008, Oishi played not only in France, but in various countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
His participation in the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation-sponsored recital series B→C 100 garnered him high acclaim. Subsequently, he appeared in such events as the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation Composium, the Suntory Foundation for Art’ Summer Festival, and the Takefu International Music Festival. He also appeared in 2008 in a dance collaboration at the late Pina Bausch’s dance festival in Germany (Internationale Tanzmesse NRW).
He has worked extensively, focusing on contemporary and classical music, but also playing concerts, on television and radio, in addition to recording music for commercials. He has released two albums with the Blue Aurora Saxophone Quartet, of which he is a member. His contemporary music group, Tokyo Gen’On Project received the 13th Saji Keizo Prize. He is a lecturer at Tokyo National University of fine Arts and music, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, and Toho College of Music.
Official Website: www.m-oishi.com
Ono, Wakana (Viola)
Born in Tokyo in 1993. In 2011, She won the 1st prize in the 18th Brahms International Competition while studying at The Music High School attached to The Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. After her high school graduation, she entered Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin. She has enrolled in the Berlin Phil Karajan Academy since May 2015. She performs in many festival and tours with Berlin Phil more than 100 times. In May 2016 as in the tour in Japan, she completed Beethoven’s entire symphonies with Berlin Phil with the conductor Simon Rattle. In addition, she is appointed to the official ensemble “Ensemble / Berlin” of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and performed in Germany and abroad. She also performed in her in may halls including Takefu International Music Festival. She won the scholarship from Yamaha music support system from 2011 to 2013, Freunde Junger Musiker e.V. Berlin Scholarship from 2012 to 2013, and ROHM Music Foundation Scholars from 2015 and 2016. She is an up-and-coming artists overseas trainees from Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan in 2014. In October 2017, she appeares in Tokyo Opera City hosted “B → C”. She is studying Viola under Amihai Grosz, and Naoko Shimizu. She lives in Berlin.
Ota, Maki (Soprano)
She studied at the Vocal Studies Course, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts and the Song Research Room, Graduate School of Music, Osaka College of Music.
After working as a member of Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus, she had a residency in Rome, as a trainee of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ overseas training program for upcoming artists, to study Giacinto Scelsi’s vocal works under Scelsi’s collaborator Ms. Michiko Hirayama.
She is a soprano who focuses on contemporary music, has studied directly from Hirayama. Not only meticulously interpreting scores and drawing musical qualities from difficult compositions, she also has a lot of nerve and elegance to perform extraordinary acts that some scores require such as showing the reverse side of eyeballs, collapsing onto the floor, bursting into laughter, running around among the audience, or accusing the cruel labor environment of a factory. She tackles the whole song for the first time, with the same members as in the 2011 premiere by Hirayama, at the base of experimental music in Tokyo. Please witness the moment of inheritance of the most ambitious composition for solo voice in the 20th century, which must sound contemporary right now.
Currently studying German contemporary vocal works under Axel Bauni in Berlin. Her performances have been broadcast at WDR in Germany, CEMAT in Italy and NHK-FM in Japan. She has taken part in such projects as a recital at the Isabella Scelsi Foundation (Rome) that featured the world premiere of Scelsi’s work, Festival Giacinto Scelsi (Basel), Festival di Nuova Consonanza (Rome), Takefu International Music Festival, Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka Regular Concert, Tokyo Opera City’s recital series “B to C.”, and Suntry Summer Festival, Nuit Blanche Kyoto.
Oya, Saori (Piano)
After receiving her B. A. Diploma in the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Saori Oya moved to Belgium.
After graduating summa cum laude in 2000 from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Flemish side), she received the Grand Distinction Award for piano, chamber music, and contemporary music. Pursued further chamber music and contemporary music study through the specialization course, she became a piano lecturer at the same conservatory in 2004.
In addition to soloist activities, she plays in a piano duo with her brother Yutaka Oya, and the Oya Piano Duo was invited to perform in many international music festivals. They ambitiously took in works from the classical period to the present, and gained a reputation for having a diverse repertoire.
She also participated in many concerts by contemporary music ensembles: “Champ d’ Action”, “Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles”, “Prometheus Ensemble”, and the Royal Flanders Opera, and after 10 years in Belgium returned to Japan.
Recently, in addition to performing chamber music concerts throughout Japan, she is regularly invited to music festivals abroad. She is also engaged in a wide variety of activities that include conducting outreach programs at schools, acting as a judge at competitions, giving advice lessons, and producing a concert series, “Sunday Morning Classics”, for the enjoyment of classical music on Sunday mornings.
Received the Fukui Prefecture Cultural Prize, Encouragement Award 2015.
Sekiguchi, Naohito (Baritone)
Naohito Sekiguchi is from Iwate Prefecture. Graduated from music course of Kozukata high school, and vocal music department of Tokyo University of the Arts. He received an incentive award for “Art song vocal competition for high school students” for 2 consecutive years, and the 3rd prize at the 56th All Japan Student Music Competition in Tokyo for vocal music high school section. He was also selected in the vocal section at Sogakudo Japan vocal competition in 2017. As a vocalist, he started activities at his college era at concert halls and recording studios. He studied under Reiko Muramatsu, Teruo Sanbayashi, Hiroshi Aoshima and Akiya Fukushima. While acting as a soloist in opera and religious songs, he took part in Seiji Ozawa Ongaku Juku in 2007, 2008, 2012, and sing as a member of chorus group in many concerts. In addition, he emphasizes chorus teaching with “the chorus that sticks to the heart”, and is teaching at a chorus group near the Kanto region. This is his third appearance at Takefu International Music Festival. He loves meeting here with great musicians, people from the festival choir, and Echizen soba. https://n-sekiguchi.amebaownd.com
Shinohe, Kana (Contrabass)
Kana Shinohe graduated from Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, Osaka University of Arts the Playing Department.
She performs in various fields such as orchestra, chamber music and brass band.
She studied contrabass under Shuji Ikeuchi, Kazuo Okuda and Koji Miyake.
She is a performance personnel of Soai University, and a member of Ensemble “La Famille” and Brass Paradise Osaka.
Shuhou (Flower-offering)
From 2004 to 2014, she worked in the Jisho-ji Temple in Kyoto (the Silver pavilion), as an Ikebana master who was in charge of flower offerings. She was also in charge of various cultural activities as part of the Temple’s International Cultural Exchange Program (France, U.S.A., Monaco, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan).
Since 2014, she has made collaborations with Japanese and foreign creators, such as musicians, contemporary artists, Japanese craftwork masters and architects, and participated in several music festivals and exhibitions, held home and abroad.
She became independent in 2015 as Ikebana master who devotes herself to plants (Hananofu,花士). Shuho continues to make flower offerings to the Nature, deities, people, and occasions.
In the same year, she started Seirensha flower arrangement lessons to propose fulfilled life by being with the nature.
In 2016, Shuho made activities in China. She was selected as one of the cultural representatives of the “Japan House” project that the Ministry of Foreign Affaires conducts to promote Japanese culture on abroad.
In April, 2017, she is to be visiting fellow of the Kyoto University of Art and Design. Her publications include « Zokajinen, Recreating Nature – Ikebana of the Temple Jisho-ji – » (Tankôsha, 2013)
Love for all… By making flower offerings, she tries to create person-to-person, person-to-thing and thing-to-thing connection.
Official Website: www.hananofu.jp
Suzuki, Tosiya (Recorder)
Tosiya SUZUKI studied the recorder at the Sweelinck Concervatorium with Walter van Hauwe in Amsterdam. He specializes in performing contemporary music and working to extend the techniques and the possibilities of the recorder.
He worked with composers, such as L.Cori, B.Ferneyhough, T.Hosokawa,, W.Schurig, S.Sciarrino and J.Yuasa and premiered their works. As a soloist he performed at festivals including, Wien Modern, Tage für Neue Musik Zürich, Gaudeamus, Darmstadt, ISCM World Music Days, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Akiyoshidai, Takefu, Royaumont, Composium, Klangspuren, Tongyeong, Festival A Tempo, Melbourene Recital Centre Opening Festival, New Zealand Festival, China-Asia Music Week, Etching Festival and Summer Festival at Suntory Hall. He has had recitals and workshops in Europe, Russia, Turkey, USA(UCSD, UCBerkeley, Stanford), Venezuela, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, China, New Zealand and Japan. In 2002 he has been the first lecturer for recorder at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt. His solo CD [Tosiya Suzuki Recorder Recital] was awarded ‘Musik & Ästhetik Interpretationspreis 2003’ by der Gesellschaft für Musik und Ästhetike. He was awarded the Nagoya Citizen Art Festival Prize, the Darmstadt Stipendien Preis, the Kranichstein Musikpreis, the Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize, the Creative Tradition Prize and the Keizo Saji Prize. He teaches at the Elisabeth University of Music.
Official Website: www.tosiyasuzuki.com/
Tai, Tomoki (Cello)
Born in Osaka in 1982. He majored cello at Tokyo University of the Arts. He started his activities in a contemporary music performance group <Ensemble Bois> in his college days. He has performed more than 150 world premiere pieces. He played with the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist. He started CD label / concert planning organization <time form record> from 2010. In addition to cello, he plays viola da Gamba and his own electric musical instrument. He won a New Horizon Special Award in Takefu International Music Festival 2012.
Tajima, Tadashi (Shakuhachi)
Tadashi Tajima is considered to be one of the representative Japanese shakuhachi players on the world-wide musical scene. He is the founder and the head of Jikisho-ryu of shakuhachi, and teaches at his schools in Tokyo and Osaka. He holds two important recitals in Tokyo and Osaka every year (total 74 times). Beside these recitals he holds concerts of shakuhachi-honkyoku (shakuhachi pieces without the other instruments) in more than 400 places throughout Japan. He also played in 20 foreign countries and is invited to many famous international music festivals such as Bach Fest and Salzburg Festival.
Tadashi Tajima received the First Prize by the competition of traditional Japanese instruments, the Grand Prize and the German Ambassador Prize in the Pan-Musik-Festival in 1974. He was awarded the Art Festival Prize by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 1990 and 2007. He was also chosen as the Remy Martin Prize and the Ongaku-no-Tomo Prize. In addition he received the Encouragement Prize of Osaka-Fumin Theater.
Tadashi Tajima published several books such as “Shakuhachi-nyumon-kyosoku-bon(Shakuhachi Guide Manual)” and “Ichion-ni-kokoro-wo-komete(Devotion to a single tone)”. His CD of shakuhachi-honkyoku is highly valued in Germany.
Tadashi Tajima has collaborated with other artists of different categories. He is free from the common preoccupation about shakuhachi. His performance shows not only the great potential of expression of instrument but also its capacity of the response to various musical situations. He succeeded all of these projects thus received a high reputation.
Tadashi Tajima premiered “Voyage X-Nozarashi” of Toshio Hosokawa at the St.Thomas Church in Leipzig during the world-wide famous Bach Fest.
Tsuda, Yuya (Piano)
Yuya Tsuda studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school. He has also studied at the Berlin University of the Arts between 2007 and 2011. He has the German national license of performer. He learned piano by Pascal Dovoyon, Gabriel Tacchino, Miyoko Goldberg=Yamane, Hiroshi Kadono and Ruriko Shibuya.
Yuya Tsuda received the First Prize, the Audience Prize and the Prize of French Ambassador at the third Sendai International Music Competition. He also received the Special Prize at the Munich International Competition 2011.
As piano soloist Yuya Tsuda played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the German Chamber Orchestra and many Japanese Orchestras. He played together with famous string players, such as Gerard Poulet, Yuzuko Horigome, Teiko Maehashi, Nobuko Yamazaki and Jens Peter Mainz.
Yuya Tsuda organized several solo recitals in Tokyo and other cities and received positive recensions. He also performs as member of chamber music ensembles positively. The Duo with Saeka Matsuyama released 4 CDs. He also forms the Piano Trio “Accord” with Kei Shirai and Taiki Kadowaki. In addition, his solo album was released by Fontec in the August 2015.
Since spring 2015 he teaches at the Tokyo University of the Arts.
Ueda, Nozomi (Clarinet)
A native of Japan, Nozomi began her musical education on clarinet at Osaka College of Music. After receiving bachelor’s degree, she went to the United States and completed her master’s degree at the Juilliard School, studying with Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima. While in U.S., she gave her recitals in N.Y. and had been playing as a member of New Juilliard Ensemble. Coming back to Japan in1999, she won the first prize at the 68th Japan Music Award. Since then, she has been performing as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral player throughout not only Japan, but also Korea, Hong Kong, Hungary, Mexico and so on. At present, she is a member of next mushroom promotion, specialized in contemporary music, Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka and a faculty of Osaka College of Music and Kyoto City University of Arts.
Ueno, Yoshie (Flute)
Yoshie Ueno, a Japanese flutist, graduated first on the top of the list from Tokyo University of Arts. Then she finished the master’s degree program of the Tokyo University of Arts.
She won the first prize in various competitions, including Tokyo Music Competition, Japan Wood Wind Competition, and Japan Music Competition. As a soloist, she has performed in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Germany, France, Austria and Russia. She played with Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and members of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra among others.
And she performed for Empress Michiko and Prince Naruhito of Japan, performed at dinner party of the Japan and China summit meeting.
As of 2016 She released seven CDs [Opera Fantasy] [Isang Yun Flute works] [Eastern Europe Songs] [Amaging Grace] [Relaxing Flute] [Tokyo Sextet] [Beyond The Pyrenees] from Octavia Records Inc. and got high acclaim in Japan. In April 2017, she is going to perform a solo recital in Washington D.C., NY, and release two new CDs.
She’s working at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and Muramatsu Flute lesson center.
Wada, Junko (Dance)
After studying painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo she was working on large scale abstract painting.
The physical aspect of the work lead her to her very personal dance style.
The source of painting and dance are the same and the body became an equivalent abstract sculpture in space.
As she uses the brush for her paintings, she paints with her body on stage and the dance becomes a three-dimensional painting in space.
Both – painting and dance – are abstract and have a faint relation to traditional Japanese art.
Since 1985 she collaborated mainly with the sound artists Akio Suzuki, Rolf Julius, Hans Peter Kuhn and others, she participated in productions of Sasha Waltz & Guests “Dialoge series, noBody and Matsukaze). She performed in many museums, galleries and public sites worldwide, including ZKM Karlsruhe (DE), Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin (DE)
Telstra Adelaide Festival (AU), Asian Art Museum SanFrancisco( US), Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo (BR),,Ruhrtriennale Essen (DE), and many others.
In 1998/99 she received a grant at Schloß Solitude, Stuttgart (DE) and since 1999 she lives in Berlin (DE). In the year 2003 she received a Hauptstadtkulturfonds grant for the year long project “Process Vol.2” that she created in collaboration with 28 fellow artists. In 2005 she returned to painting after a 10 year pause, and had a exhibition at haus am Waldsee and KVLEGAL ( 2014), DRK Klinik( 2017) in Berlin. Junko Wada lives and works in Berlin.
Yamamoto, Junko (Piano)
Junko Yamamoto was born in Japan. She studied contemporary chamber music with Peter Eötvös in Cologne and piano with Claude Helffer in Paris.
Currently she is teaching at the University of Music in Stuttgart, Germany and at the University of Music in Basel, Switzerland.
She has received awards and grants from the most excellent prize with the Experimental Sound, Art & Performance Festival Tokyo, the special prize for the best performer for spanish contemporary music with the „Xavier Montsalvatge Competition“ in Spain, to the excellent prize with the Cultural Ministry of Ishikawa.
Junko Yamamoto as a guest artist has been invited to numerous international music festivals, such as “Le festival musica” in France, “Bartok International Festival” in Hungary, “Biennale Curitiba” in Brazil, “Musicarama Festival” in Hong Kong, “Sinuston Festival” in Germany and “Takefu International Music Festival” in Japan.
Her music performances have been broadcasted by Südwestrundfunk, Saarländischer Rundfunk, NHK (Japan), the Hungarian Radio 3, Bayerischer Rundfunk. She founded and directed the “ensemble cross.art”.
Official Website: www.junkoyamamoto.de
Official Blog: http://junko-yamamoto.blogspot.de
Yokosaka, Gen (Cello)
Gen Yokosaka began to play the cello at the age of 4. He won the numerous competitions including Viva Hall Cello Competition in 2002 at the age of 15 (youngest ever winner), Idemitsu Music Award in 2005, Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award in 2008, International Music Competition of ARD Munich (2nd prize in cello category) in 2010. And he had participated at Lucerne Festival Academy. He has performed with most of the main orchestras in Japan including NHK Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. Gen has studied with Katsuro Washio, Hakuro Mohri and Jeean – Guihen Queyras and studied at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. And he plays a 1710 cello by Pietro Giacomo Rogeri kindly loaned by the Suntory Foundation.
Composition Workshop Faculties
Special Faculties
Hosokawa, Toshio
Mundry, Isabel
Born in Schlüchtern (Hesse, Germany) on 20 April; raised in West Berlin. In 1983-1991, she studies composition with Frank-Michael Beyer and Gösta Neuwirth at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin, and electronic music at the Studio of the Technische Universität. She also takes courses in musicology (with Carl Dahlhaus), art history and philosophy at the Technische Universität Berlin. In 1986-1993, she teached assignment for composition and analysis at the Berlin Kirchenmusik-schule and at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin. In 1991-1994, she took further composition studies with Hans Zender in Frankfurt. In 1992-1994 she stayed in Paris: first with a scholarship from the Cité des Arts and later at IRCAM (as part of a one-year course in information technology and composition). In 1994-1996, she worked as free-lance composer in Vienna. In 1996-2004, she worked as professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. In 1997 she taught at the Akiyoshidai Festival (Japan). She also participated in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2008 composition workshops at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik. In 2001 she was reworded advancement Award of the Ernst-von-Siemens-Foundation. In 2002/03 she received the fellowship of the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin. Since 2004 she is professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Zürich, and since 2011 professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Munich. In 2014 she has received “German Composers’ Award of the GEMA” in the category Solo Concerto.
Isabel Mundry has received numerous awards and grants, including the Composition Scholarship of the Berlin Senate, the Berlin Composition Award, the Boris Blacher Award, the Schneider Schott Award, the Busoni Award, the Scholarship of the Heinrich Strobel Foundation, the Kranichstein Music Award, VR Leasing Award of the “Ingrid zu Solms” Foundation, Member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz.
Assistant Faculties
Kaneko, Hitomi
Born in Tokyo. Kaneko studied composition at the Toho University, then at the Conservatorium of Paris as scholarship student of the French govnernment. She learned composition under Akira Miyoshi and Gérard Grisey. She won the first prize of the French-Japanese Composition Competiton for Comtemporary Music as well as the first prize of composition section (orchestra) at the Japan Music Competiton and many other prizes. Kaneko has collaborated with IRCAM and NHK Electronic Studio. She studied further as scholarship resercher in France. Her main works are published by Zen’on and her CDs are released by Fontec. She teaches composition at the Toho University and the Art University of Tokyo.
Aylward, John
“We hear brilliant energetic rhythmic figures…imaginative sonorities and harmonies that always move, always inflect. Also striking are the zones of suspended motion and otherworldly calm”
(American Academy of Arts and Letters)
My music comprises solo works, chamber music, orchestral work and music for film. I’m in the midst of commissions from members of Klangforum Wien and Court-Circuit, and I just finished my second work for stage, which was premiered in May at Le Laboratoire Cambridge. In recent seasons, I’ve been commissioned by Sound Icon, the Washington Square Contemporary Music Society and from Open Space.
I regularly advocate for composers of all stripes as a performer (pianist) and as a director of the Etchings Festival for Contemporary Music. I’m also the Artistic Director of Ecce, a contemporary music ensemble. I was born and raised in the Southwest US, and so often my music takes on concerns related to that landscape and culture: ancestral concepts of time, appropriations of indigenous cultures into surrealism and impressionism, and the connections between native traditions and Greek and Roman mythology. Currently, I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and teach music composition at Clark University.
Awards and fellowships include those from the John S. Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, the Koussevitzky Commission from the Library of Congress, the Fulbright Foundation (Grant to Germany), the MacDowell Colony, Tanglewood, the Aspen Music School, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, First Prize from the International Society for Contemporary Music, and many others.
Special Guests
Meyer=Kalkus, Reinhart
Kakigi, Nobuyuki
Invited Composers
Chendler, Yohanan
Lardelli, Dylan
Inamori, Yasutaki
Nakahori, Kaito
Workshop Coordinator
Kinoshita, Masamichi