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Appearing

conductor / Kentaro KAWASE

soprano / Miho SAKODA

alto / Daichi FUJIKI

tenor / Naoki MIYASATO

baritone / Jun HAGIWARA

Chorus / Sapporo Symphony chorus,

Song List

Kentaro KAWASE（conductor）

Born in Tokyo in 1984 and graduated with a degree in conducting from the Tokyo College of Music in 2007, having studied under Junichi Hirokami, Yasuhiko Shiozawa and others. Was awarded 2nd place (which was the highest level with no 1st place) at the Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting in 2006, and since then KAWASE has received invitations to conduct Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra among others. He was also the assistant conductor of Pacific Music Festival (2007～2009). Kawase is the Resident Conductor of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra from April 2022 and will be Artistic Director of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra from April 2023. (as of December 2022 from our website)

Miho SAKODA（soprano）

Japanese soprano Miho Sakoda has an accurate technique and profound insights into score reading with a vast repertoire ranging from baroque to verismo. She made her stunning debut at the Fujiwara Opera by the Japan Opera Foundation with the title role of “Madama Butterfly” in 2019. Since then, she has developed her career as an operatic diva, and during the 2022/23 season, performed Lucieta in “Il Campiello” (E.Wolf-Ferrari) and Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte” at the Fujiwara Opera, Guardian Angel in “Rappresentatione di Anima e Corpo” (E. de Cavalieri) produced by the EX NOVO (early music ensemble), Flora in “Chopin” (G. Orefice) at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, the title role in “Madama Butterfly” at the Savannah Voice Festival in the United States. Other recent roles include Countess Almaviva in “Le nozze di Figaro”, Mimì in “La Bohème”, Riccardo in “Il trionfo dell’onore” (A.Scarlatti). She has also appeared as a soloist at prominent concert halls in Tokyo, such as Suntory Hall and performed the 9th Symphony of Beethoven with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Her orchestral repertoire includes the Small Solemn Mass of Rossini, Requiem of Fauré, and Mass in C major of Mozart. She received her Bachelor of Music from the Tokyo University of the Arts. She completed the advanced course at the Suntory Hall Opera Academy (Executive Faculty: Giuseppe Sabbatini) in 2017. She also won the second prize in the vocal section of the 13th Tokyo Music Competition, and she reached the finals for the vocal categories at the 86th Music Competition of Japan and the 50th Japan-Italy Vocal Concorso. (from https://www.mihosakoda.com/)

© hiromasa

Daichi FUJIKI（alto）

In April 2017, Daichi Fujiki made a brilliant debut at that hallowed institution of opera, the Vienna State Opera. In making his debut in the role of the Herald in Aribert Reimann’s Medea, which was composed for the Wiener Staatsoper and world premiered in 2010, Daichi Fujiki made history as the first Japanese, and East Asian, countertenor to perform at this venerable institution. His performance was enthusiastically acclaimed not only by audiences and media outlets of the city of music, but also in Japan. In 2012, Fujiki won the Hans Gabor award at the 31st International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, and placed first in the vocal division of the Music Competition of Japan as a countertenor in the same year. In 2013, Fujiki made his European debut at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna after being selected for the role of Mannio in Gluck’s Il Trionfo di Clelia. His performances in concerts with major orchestras and recitals around Japan have been received with great acclaim. In 2017, Fujiki released his first album “All That the Man Left Behind When He Died” (King International). In 2018, he sang the theme song of “Hanalei Bay”, a new movie based on an original work by Haruki Murakami, and released his long-awaited major debut album “Plaisir d’amour” (Warner Music Japan), a duo with Martin Katz, around the same time. In February 2020, Fujiki starred in the successful new opera “The 400 year-old Castrato”, for which he received an offer from Tokyo Bunka Kaikan for producing the original concept as well as playing the title role. The event generated a large amount of buzz, even from before the actual performance itself. In October of the same year, he sang Oberon, the king of the fairies, in the New National Theatre Tokyo’s 2020/2021 season of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the title role Bach Collegium Japan’s production of Handel’s Rinaldo. The unique beauty of Fujiki’s voice and overwhelming sense of presence charmed audiences, and cemented his popularity as an opera singer. In 2021, Fujiki sang the lead role of Akira in the world premiere of the Keiichiro Shibuya-composed “Super Angels” (libretto by Masahiko Shimada), at the New National Theatre Tokyo led by General Producer Kazushi Ono. His performance alongside the android “Alter 3” presented a revolutionary form of opera to the world. Fujiki’s long-awaited new album “Song of Life (King International) will be released in November 2021. As one of Japan’s highest-profile international artists, Fujiki is current activities range over a diverse repertoire from baroque to contemporary. He also is a guest professor at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. Fujiki is serving as producer at Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall from 2021 to 2023. (from https://daichifujiki.com/en/biography/)

© 深谷義宣auraY2

Naoki MIYASATO（tenor）

Naoki MIYASATO is an international experienced tenor singer, educated in Tokyo, Vienna and Milan. In 2019 he appeared as Cavaradossi in the opera Tosca, and in 2017 as Rodolfo in the opera La Bohème. Naoki MIYASATO had several performances in Shanghai, Peking, Tokyo, and Vienna. Naoki Miyasato’s voice is characterized by an established technique and a wide tone range. He’s been described as brilliant in high tones. Since his childhood Naoki Miyasato has been dedicated to music. He began with playing violin and piano, thus today he is a multi-talented and passionate musician. He studied opera singing at Tokyo University of the Arts from 2007 to 2014, and completed his studies with honors. He attended the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna for a postgraduate study from 2014 to 2016. In the Riccardo Zandonai competition in Italy he won the second place award in 2016. Furthermore Naoki Miyasato received several first place awards in Japan. Such as the Choukou competition in 2011, the Italy-Japan-Competition, as well as the Tokyo Music Competition in 2012. He is gaining recognition thanks to several performances. In 2016 he made his Europe debut with the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marco Boemi and Lorenzo Tazzieri. He has performed in Europe many times, including the Musica Riva Festival in Riva del garda in Italy in 2018. Naoki Miyasato was invited by Yu Long to perform, and received a marvelous reputation for his solo performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, also conducted by Yu Long in Shanghai. In addition, he performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in the Musikverein Wien, conducted by Joji Hattori. Similarly, he sang in several solo performances in his home country of Japan. For example, with the NHK symphony orchestra at NHK Hall in Tokyo, as well as in Dvoráks Stabat Mater conducted by Takuo Yuasa in Kyoto. Furthermore Naoki Miyasato has performed Verdi-Requiem all over Japan. He has appeared in the roles of Rodolfo (La Bohème), Fenton (Falstaff), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Alfredo (La Traviata), Conte di Liebenskof (Il viaggio a Reims), and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni). (from http://naokimiyasato.com/index_b-en.html)

Jun HAGIWARA（baritone）

After graduating Tokyo University of Music and finishing its postgraduate course, Hagiwara also completed the Niki-kai Opera Studio, and received an award upon completion. In 2003, Hagiwara won Goto Memorial Foundation Opera rookie award, and by receiving scholarship from the foundation and being accepted as one of the Agency of Cultural Affairs Oversea Study Program for Artists, he studied in Berlin. Since 2000, he was in Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and passed its conzert-exams with the proficiency. In July 2000, he appeared in the Festival Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg (Germany) and was selected to be Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia among 500 applicants. The media commented his appearance, “Japanese with a brilliant voice,” and “fascinated guests with rich performances.” In October same year, he appeared in the Brandenburg Theater together with Elisabeth von Magnus in the role of Ariodate in Handel’s Xerxes. His appearance with the Berlin State Opera Orchestra and Ralph Reuters in Berlin was also well received, and his invitation extended to the Festival Kammeroper Scholoss Rheinsberg. As Hagiwara continued to appear in German and European Theaters, he was selected by Beck Messer to appear in the 50th anniversary of Niki-kai, “Meistersinger of Nuremberg,” and many other operatic major roles in Japan. For the concerts, high acclaim was given in “Messaih,” “Carmina Burana,” and “The Ninth Symphony.” Hagiwara is a member of Bach Collegium Japan and associate professor of Tokyo University of Music. Niki-kai member.