Profile
©武藤章
Artistic Director / Conductor
Piano
Percussion
Percussion
©武藤章
Artistic Director / Conductor
Ko Matsushita
Composer and conductor born and raised in Tokyo, 1962. Matsushita is currently the conductor and artistic director of 13 choirs, which are often invited to perform in Japan, Europe, America, Canada, and Asia. They have also achieved excellent showings in the choral circuit and won awards in international competitions.
A prolific composer and arranger, Matsushita’s works are performed around the world. His compositions vary widely, ranging from works based on traditional Japanese music, Masses, motets, to etudes for choirs.
His works are published in Japan by Edition KAWAI, Pana Musica, Ongaku no tomo sha Corp., Edition ICOT, and overseas by Carus-Verlag Stuttgart (Germany), SULASOL Helsinki (Finland), among others.
Besides conducting and composing, he is also an active workshop clinician and lecturer both within and outside Japan. Especially, he has been adjudicating at many international choral competitions and composition competitions around the world.<br>In 2005, he was awarded the“Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music” in recognition of his outstanding achievements worldwide in conducting, composing, performance, and education within the field of choral music.
His choir The Metropolitan Chorus of Tokyo and he was invited to the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA as a guest choir and a panelist for Composer’s speak out, moreover as a lecturer for a reading session in February 2015.<br>Also, he was invited to Bach Academy Stuttgart as a lecturer for the workshop about his works in March 2016, at the same time his new work “De profundis clamavi” was performed by KammerChor Saarbrückn as a world premiere in Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart.
He was a member of the artistic committee of the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona 2017, and his work “Salva me” was performed by KammerChor Saarbrückn as a world premiere in there.
In Taipei, Taiwan his work “Te Deum” for 4 groups male voices, Organ, String quartet, and percussions were performed as a world premiere by International professional groups in 2017.
In 2019, he gave a keynote speech at the International Kodály Symposium (Kuching, Malaysia).
He is currently the CEO of the International Choral Organization of Tokyo, the Artistic Director of the Karuizawa International Choral Festival and the Tokyo International Choir Competition, a member of the Founding Directors of the Asian Choral Association, an honorary member of Associazione Nazionale Direttori di Coro Italiani, a member of the Interkurtur World Choir Council, the Vice President of the Tokyo Choral Association, a member of Japan Choral Association Youth Chorus Committee, Furthermore, he is a member of Japan Composers & Arrangers Association, Special Guest Professor at Kobe College.
Piano
Katsunori Maeda
Born in Yamaguchi prefecture. Graduated from the Tokyo Gakugei University Faculty of education Arts course Music department. Finished the master course of the Tokyo Gakugei University Graduate school of Music as the first of class. Granted the NTT Docomo scholarship upon completion. Including the PTNA piano competition Duo category special finest award, he achieved high-rank awards in multiple competitions such as the Tama fresh music competition, Japan chamber music competition, Suita music competition, Omagari freshers music festival and competition, and Kazusa academia music competition. Furthermore, he qualified to perform in the NHK-FM “Saturday recital”, Debut concert of the rising musicians by the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, ABC freshers concert, and Recommended newcomers concert by the Japan Federation of Musicians, etc. He has performed together with the Osaka philharmonic orchestra, Hiroshima symphony orchestra, New philharmonic orchestra Chiba. Currently, he is actively performing as a pianist together with soloists, chamber musicians, and vocal/choral music.
Percussion
Hidehiko Kozai
Born in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Department of Instrumental Music, Percussion Major. He studied percussion under Tomoyuki Okada and Hidehiko Sato, joined the Shinsei Nippon Symphony Orchestra as principal percussionist in 1998, and was appointed percussionist of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2001 following the orchestra's merger, a position he held until March 2019. He has been a member of the "Miracle Percussion Ensemble" and "Ensemble Spielen" since 1997, after having been a member of the "Tomoyuki Okada Percussion Ensemble. He is currently a professor at Kunitachi College of Music, a guest professor at Sensoku Gakuen School of Music, and a board member of the Japan Percussion Instrument Society.
Director of the Japan Percussion Instrument Society. He is also the president of the Tokyo Music Club. Endorser of the Canopus Symphonic Band. He is also active as a player in musicals and studios such as the Shiki Theater Company, as well as a trainer for students and general brass bands and orchestras.
He has served as a judge for wind band competitions, ensemble contests, and the Japan Wind and Percussion Competition.
Percussion
Mayumi Oikawa
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music. Since graduation, she has given recitals and appeared in various concerts as a marimba player, as well as working as a freelance player in orchestras, musicals, recordings, and other venues. As a member of the percussion ensembles Tomoyuki Okada Percussion Ensemble and Miracle Percussion Ensemble, she has performed in Japan and abroad, and currently presides over Ensemble Spielen.