AKIKAZU NAKAMURA -COMPOSER, JAPANESE BAMBOO FLUTE PLAYER

AKIKAZU NAKAMURA

-Composer, japanese bamboo flute player-

Akikazu Nakamura studied with Katsuya Yokoyama and several masters of the komusō shakuhachi. He studied composition and jazz theory at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating summa cum laude, and subsequently gained a scholarship to study composition and third-stream music in the graduate school of the New England Conservatory.

Nakamura is a unique shakuhachi player who makes use of circular breathing based on his own distinctive method, missoku (“esoteric breathing”), a method of breathing with ancient origins in Japan. He mastered this method over many years through his own single-minded effort and it enables him to make free use of harmonics. He has also mastered the technique of playing and singing different melodic lines at the same time.

The core of his work as a musician involves the collection, analysis and performance of shakuhachi music handed down in pre-modern times by the mendicant Zen monks known as komusō, but he is also active in a wide range of musical genres including rock, jazz , contemporary classical music, improvised music and cross-genre collaboration.

He has been sponsored by many organizations including the Japan Foundation in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

He has been introduced as one of Japan’s leading jazz musicians at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and has performed in over 150 cities in more than 40 countries on the basis of invitations from, among others, the Festival de Saint-Florent-le-Veil in France, the “Jazz in Japan” Festival sponsored by the Maison de la Culture du Japon in Paris, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Transonic Musical Festival in Berlin, the Festival Vancouver in Canada, the Istanbul Music Festival in Turkey, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland.

He has released twelve CDs including Komusō shakuhachi no sekai: Edo no shakuhachi, Tsuru no sugomori (The world of Zen music: The shakuhachi of Edo, Tsuru no sugomori)(Victor Entertainment). His CD release from Nippon Columbia entitled Komusō shakuhachi no sekai :Saji (The world of Zen music: Saji) was awarded the Prize for Excellence in the record category at the 1999 Arts Festival sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Columbia Golden Disc Prize.

His Victor Entertainment release Komusō shakuhachi no sekai: Hokuriku no shakuhachi, Sanya (The world of Zen music: The shakuhachi of the Hokuriku region, Sanya) was awarded the Prize for Excellence in the record category at the 2005 Arts Festival sponsored by the Agency for Cultural affairs.

His eighth solo recital, entitled Nezasa-ha Kinpū-ryū wo fuku (Performing music in the Nezasa-ha Kinpū-ryū lineage) was awarded the 19th Matsuo Performing Arts Prize.

Akikazu Nakamura is also active as a composer, in which capacity he was awarded the 18th Encouragement Prize for Creative Achievement in the Stage Arts sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. He has received commissions from NHK, West deutsche Rundfunk, the Ravel String Quartet in France, the Jean Sibelius String Quartet in Finland, the Munch Trio in Germany, and Music from Japan in the United States.

He has published several books in Japanese including Missoku de karda ga kawaru (Changing the body through ‘esoteric breathing’) (Shinchōsha), Baion ichion, kotoba, karada no bunkashi (Single harmonics, words and the body: A cultural record) (Shunjūsya ), Ano hito no koe wa naze tsutawaru no ka (Why does his voice travel ?) (Gentōsha Education), and Nihon ongaku no kōzō (The structure of Jaanese music) (Artes Publishing).

Akikazu Nakamura teaches at the Tokyo University of Arts, the Graduate School of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Yamanashi Gakuin University and the Asahi Culture Center. He is a member of the Japan Society of Contemporary Music and director of the Ishinkai branch of Myōan-ryū and Kinko-ryū shakuhachi.

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Other music projects: Kokoo; FOREST

OVERSEAS

Overseas Performances by Akikazu Nakamura

2017	– July: Music from Japan 2017 (New York)
2014	– July: “Akikazu Nakamura FOREST” (tour of Switzerland). – Concert at the Centre de l’Espérance in Geneva to commemorate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland, sponsored by the Japanese Embassy. – “Music in the Park”, Japan Day at the Montreux Jazz Festival. – Concert at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Bern to commemorate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland, sponsored by the Japanese Embassy.
2012	– September: Appearance at the Jeongju International Sori Festival in South Korea. – October: Performance tour of three countries in the Arabian Gulf sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to support artistic exchange: – Performed in the Lecture Hall of the Ministry of Education in Oman to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Oman. – Performed at the Qatar National Theatre to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Qatar. – Performed at the Abu Dhabi branch of Zayed University to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United Arab Emirates. * Press conferences held with local media in each country. – October: Performed at “Autumn in Japan” in Georgia, presenting concerts in Batumi (Art and Music Centre), Kutaisi (Opera Theatre) and Tbilisi (Great Hall of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire). Lectured at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire.
2011	– June: Invited to perform at the Aramnuri Arts Center in Goyang in South Korea. Performed together with the Korean dancer Kim Maeja. – September: Performed at the OZasia Festival in Australia in the Adelaide Space Theatre. – November: Performed in Kazakhstan, giving concerts in Almaty and Nur-Sultan and presenting masterclasses and lectures. Appeared on local TV and radio. – December: Invited to perform at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory; presented a concert and lecture on Komusō shakuhachi.
2010	– February: Performed in the Salle Redutowe of the National Opera Theatre in Warsaw in a concert of Japanese music with the Warsaw National Opera Orchestra conducted by Chikara Imamura to mark the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Poland. – October: Performed in the United States at the Philadelphia Institute for Culture and at MOMA in New York. – Composed and performed music for Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1926 silent movie A Page of Madness in collaboration with a string orchestra. – Presented a workshop on the shakuhachi and Missoku at the Japan Center in New York. – Lectured at Harvard University on “Harmonics”.
2009	– Invited to perform at the Philharmonie in Berlin. Performed in “NEY-ZEN”.
2007	– April: Performed with the dancer Maureen Fleming in Vermont in the United States. – August: Invited to perform at the “Offside Open 2007” International New Music Festival in Germany. Gave a solo recital of Komusō shakuhachi music and a concert together with the German jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. Made a guest performance in a concert given by David Murray. – October-November: Performed with the dancer Maureen Fleming at three cities in the United States.
2006	– February: Invited to appear at “Music from Japan” in New York, giving four concerts and two workshops in three American cities. – March: Invited by the Kennedy Center in Washington DC to give a concert and present a workshop on breathing methods. – May: Featured in “A Day With Akikazu Nakamura” and gave a concert at “Jazz in Japan” sponsored by the Maison de la Culture du Japon in Paris.
2005	– June: Invited by the city of Hollywood in Florida to perform at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center and the Morikami Museum. – November: Invited by the French cities of Evian, Grenoble and Lyon to perform with the Ravel String Quartet, performing works including his own quintet.
2004	– January: Invited to perform at the “Transonic” music festival in Berlin, giving a recital of Komusō shakuhachi music in collaboration with other musicians. – August: Guest performance at the New York International Shakuhachi Festival. – December: Invited by a Dutch promoter to perform with Kokoo on a concert tour of six cities in the Netherlands and Belgium.
2003	– April: Invited to appear at an international festival of contemporary music in South Korea. – October: Performed in four cities in the three nations of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz as part of a tour of Central Asia sponsored by the Japan Foundation.
2002	– July: Invited to appear at the Cheltenham Music Festival in the United Kingdom. Performed Sakura ni yosu for shakuhachi, violin and string orchestra by Yui Kakinuma.
2001	– October: Invited to perform at the Jeongju Sanjo Festival in South Korea. – December: Invited by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Performed Sakura ni yosu for shakuhachi, violin and string orchestra by Yui Kakinuma.
2000	– August: Invited to appear at the Vancouver Music Festival in Canada.
1999	– March: Appeared in “Jazz from Japan” sponsored by the Japan Society in New York. – April: Appeared with the Munch Trio in a broadcast concert sponsored by ARD, and performed works including his own specially commissioned quartet.
1998	– July: Invited to appear at the Kuhmo Music Festival in Finland. Gave the first performance of his specially commissioned quintet with the Sibelius String Quartet. – November: Invited to appear at the Pan Music Festival in South Korea.
1997	– May: Performed with the dancer Molissa Fenley at the Joyce Theater in New York. – November: Gave four performances with the jazz group Upstream in Halifax in Canada.
1996	– June: Appeared at the Festival de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil in France, performing his own works with the dancer Margie Gillis. – August: Invited to appear at the Japan Festival in New Zealand.
1995	– August: Appeared at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. – November: Concert tour with the Irish harpist Sandy Moore in Canada.
1994	– Appeared at the “Music from Japan” Festival at the Asia Society in New York and the Pacific Asia Museum in Los Angeles. – Appeared in the “South Korea-Japan Contemporary Music Exchange Program” at the house of Hong Nanpa in Seoul. – Appeared in “Akikazu Nakamura Forest Concert” at Five Spot in New York.
1993	– Appeared in the “Molissa Fenley Dance Recital” at the Joyce Theater in New York.
1992	– Appeared in “Upstream Akikazu Nakamura” at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. – Appeared in joint concerts with Richard Lerman at the STEIM Foundation in Amsterdam and in Antwerp. – “Akikazu Nakamura Forest Concert” at Blue Note in New York.
1990	– Public recording in the “Romanischer Sommer ’90” Festival at the Romanesque Church in Cologne. Broadcast on WDR radio. – Concert tour of Sweden, Finland, Soviet Union, Denmark, Poland and Czechoslovakia sponsored by the Japan Foundation on the “Cultural Exchange Program”.
1989	– Eleven concerts in South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia sponsored by the Japan Foundation on the “Cultural Exchange Program”.
1988	– Performances in New York. First of more than dozen concerts and concert tours in the United States.
1986	– Performed in the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival at the Macon Opera Theater in Georgia (U.S.A,). – Performed at the “Music From Japan” Festival held at the Lincoln Center and the Asia Society. – Presented a solo recital in Boston. – Presented a solo recital at the Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. – Performed in Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney in concerts in Australia sponsored by the Japan Foundation on the “Cultural Exchange Program”. – “Boogie Concert” at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
1985	– Performed in image opera “Journey Through Sacred Time” by Somei Satoh at St Ann Church in New York. – “Iris Park Dance Recital” in South Korea. – “Bill Scism’s Fun Ensemble” at Berklee College of Music in Boston. – Performance at St Peter’s Church in New York.
1984	– Gave a joint recital with the koto performer Kazue Sawai at the Japan Society in Boston.
1983	– Tour of the United States at the Kennedy Center and 30 locations with Tokyo Kid Brothers in “Shiro”.
1982	– Performed in Iris Park dance recital at Washington Square Church in New York.
1981	– Performed in “Shiro” with Tokyo Kid Brothers at La MaMa Theater in New York. – Performed in “Event in Winter” at Studio 2 in New York.

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