Hyper Noh "Snow Flower" Performer Profile
●Makiko Sakurai (Shirabyoshi, Shomyo)
He studied the Ryuteki flute with Shiba Sukeyasu and Tendai Ohara-ryu Shomyo with Nakayama Genshin. In 1997, after seeing Lady Eboshi in "Princess Mononoke," he began restoring the Shirabyoshi dance. He mastered the Gagaku dance of Samai and the Indonesian dance "Slimpi," and conducted on-site research on medieval dances across Japan, creating choreography for Shirabyoshi songs. He has performed pieces such as "Bintatara," "Mizu no Enkyoku," "Horaizan," and "Kaikotsu" for 20 years. Since 2007, he has presented original Noh pieces such as "Manhattan Oji," "Tachibana no Oya," and "Kishibe no Daijin." In 2019, he will present the hyper Noh pieces "Okinawa Heike Monogatari," "Suiren," and "Throwing Stones."
Makiko's Association https://www.sakurai-makiko.com
Homepage http://www.zipangu.com/sakurai/
● Yoshimatsu Akira (singing and dancing)
While working as a stage actor, he learned Kita-ryu chanting and dance from Professor Richard Emmert.
He has interpreted Noh chants and dances in a modern way and adapted them for the stage. His works include "The Prostitute of Pattaya" and "The Little Match Girl."
She has participated in the Music Poetry Drama Institute's performances in Tokyo, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and South Korea, performing chants and dances.
● Motoki Sakurai (Jiutai, Gregorian chant)
He graduated from the Department of Music and Culture, Faculty of Education, Hiroshima University, and the Department of Vocal Music, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed the Graduate School of Early Music with a focus on Baroque vocal music. He has studied vocal music with Kazuya Edagawa, Haruka Masuda, Katsunori Kono, Chieko Teratani, and Ryo Sakurada, baroque vocal music with Yukari Nonoshita, choral conducting with Alexander Nagy, conducting with Nori Imamura, early music performance with Tetsuro Hanai, voice training with Yoshiaki Kokubo and Hiroki Iwasaki, special vocalization with William Tokuhisa, screaming with Mahon, Indian classical music with Taro Terahara, and martial arts with Hidetoshi Mitsuoka.
He is the leader of the Salicus Kammerchor, Ensemble Salicus, and Chor Eleusis. He is a lecturer at the Fons Floris Early Music Academy and the Koeda Ir. Choir. He was the performance committee chairperson for the Tokyo University of the Arts Bach Cantata Club from 2013 to 2015. He is also the leader of the vocal ensemble Alamire. He is a member of Ensemble XENOS, The Cygnus Vocal Octet, Japan Chamber Choir, Vocal Ensemble Capella, and Early Music Ensemble Contraponto.
● Shungo Kato (Kundan, Surin, Kumana)
He graduated from Tokyo College of Music, majoring in percussion instruments, and from the same university's Graduate School of Music Culture, where he studied multicultural music and master's degree in Javanese gamelan. He is currently active in a wide range of fields, focusing on performances of Javanese gamelan, the Indonesian folk music. He has studied percussion under Yumi Mizuma, Takeshi Kubota, Makoto Shibahara, Momoko Kamiya, and Tomohiro Nishikubo, and Javanese gamelan under Kayo Kimura and Nami Higuchi. He is a member of the Javanese gamelan group "Rambansari" and a curator at the Hamamatsu City Museum of Musical Instruments.
●Motoya Ishizaki (Polygonola Steel Pan)
Graduated from the Department of Performance Creation at Kunitachi College of Music. Studied percussion under Yoshiko Kanda and Takashi Fukuda.
They have been active in a variety of performances across genres, including the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg (Duo Division), a competition for contemporary percussion ensembles held in Luxembourg, and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the largest Irish traditional music competition, where they placed first in the preliminary round and advanced to the finals in Ireland. They also won second place and a special contemporary music award at the 2nd Pan Pacific Contemporary Music Competition.
