Photo: Toyohiko Fujita

Hide Shindori (Conductor) Born in 1961, Hide Shindori is admired for his "dynamic conducting". In his early years, he studied piano at the Musashino College of Music. After completing the graduate course he was admitted to the Toho Gakuen School of Music in 1987. Where he studied orchestra conducting with the world's leading conductors including Masamitsu Takahashi, Tadaaki Otaka, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Seiji Ozawa, Hideomi Kuroiwa and chamber music with Akira Miyoshi. Later, he further pursued his studies at the Moscow State Conservatory with Leonied Nikolayev and Vasily Sinaisky. He began his musical career as an assistant conductor. From 1989 to 1993, he worked for the Nagoya Nikikai Opera under Yuzo Toyama. During which time works such as "La Boheme", "Madama Butterfly", "La Traviata", "Peter Grimes", "Cavaleria Rusticana", "I Pagliacci", "Gianni Schicci", "Suor Angelica", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "Haensel und Gretel" were performed. From 1993 to 1994, he worked for the Fujiwara Opera (Japan Opera Founation). In 1994 he was admitted to study at the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) under Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dohonany, and David Syrus. He was also given an opportunity to study with the English National Opera, the Welsh National Opera, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Tadaaki Otaka. Since 1995, he has achieved remarkable results in many competitions worldwide. At the Fifth G.Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors he was awarded the Second Prize (Silver Medal). Furthermore, at the same competition, he was given Henryk Mikołaj Górecki Special Award from the PWM (Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne). Since then, he has conducted numerous orchestras in both Europe and Japan. In Europe, he acted as a guest conductor for Sinfonia Varsovia, Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition he has had a successful career in Japan as well. Some of the orchestras he has conducted include the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gunma Symphony Orchestra and the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently he is focusing his effects into collaborations with soloists such as Gil Shaham, Evgeni Mogilevsky, Joanna Kozlovska, Yukio Yokoyama and Takako Takahashi. He is highly regarded and respected by the soloists. Recently having played the complete Lieder by Alma Mahler, he is also highly regarded as a unique accompanying pianist who is able to produce symphonic sound out of a piano. His appearance as a guest conductor to the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra since 2015 was highly acclaimed on the Bangkok Post, "Truly happy encounter of the orchestra and a conductor. Audience was enthusiastic at their triumphant achievement". He considers Beethoven's Symphonies as his lifework. He is also keen on playing great church music and choral works such as "Matthäus-Passion", "Messiah".

Photo: Shigeto Imura

Katsuto Yokoshima (Conductor) Born in Osaka Katsuto Yokoshima started to learn the piano at the age of nine. He started to conduct during his studies at Osaka College of Music. When he graduated Yokoshima began his conducting career and worked as chief conductor with the Takatsuki City Orchestra until 1990. In 1990, Yokoshima moved to Vienna to continue studying further in conducting at Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts. At the university, he studied with Leopold Hager, Peter Schwarz and Yuji Yuasa who was an assistant professor. While in Vienna, he also attended the master class in Vienna (1990) and the seminar sponsored by the Szeged Symphony Orchestra in Hungary (1996), where he studied with Julius Kalmer and Ervin Accel. While receiving a Diploma Yokoshima was selected to conduct the Szeged Symphony Orchestra for the performance. In 1998, he was among the best eight finalists at the　International Kirill Kondrasin Competition for Conducting in Netherland. Also the concert at the　Vienna Musikverein, in which Yokoshima conducted the Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Tonkünstler Orchestra, was his highly successful debut in Vienna. Since then, Yokoshima has been conducting various concerts including the Haydn's Oratorio “The Creation” at the Haydn Saar in Eisenstad, outside Vienna (2001) and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Smetana Hall (2003) in Czech Republic, the main concert hall for the Prague Spring Music Festival. While Yokoshima has been appointed as the assistant and the choir conductor for the opera projects (I ? III) organised by Seiji Ozawa-Juku in Japan since 2000, he appeared in charity concerts and conducted at St. Nicholas’ Church and the Gewandhaus, in Leipzig Germany. Also he was invited to conduct in Vienna and Prague for the event “Mozart 250th Anniversary - Requiem Gala Concert” in September and October 2006. While Yokoshima is currently working as a conductor for the Matsumoto Mozart Orchestra, he has also been appointed as the artistic director for the new project “Mozart Symphony - Performance of the entire works” since March 2008. The project will take place over a period of 10 years and Yokoshima will be conducting 52 Mozart Symphonies in the town of Matsumoto in Nagano prefecture. Various Orchestra Experience: Szeged Symphony Orchestra; Mav Symphony Orchestra; Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra; New Japan Philharmonic; Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra; Century Orchestra Osaka; Okayama Philharmonic Orchestra; Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra; Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra; Kyoto Symphony Orchestra; Nara philharmonic Orchestra; Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra; Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band and other

Katsurako Mikami (Piano) Born in Sapporro, Katsurako Mikami first studied Piano with Michiko Endo at the age of four. During High School at the Toho School of Music, Mikami studied with Akiko Iguchi and won the first prize at the 18th National Competition (high school division) cosponsored by the NHK and the Mainichi Newspaper. Since then Mikami won various prizes including the first prize at the 34th Nippon Ongaku Competition in the following year and the International League scholarship to study abroad. After receiving a special prize at the Long-Tibaud International Competition in France, Mikami moved to Paris with a full scholarship given by the French Government to study with Vlado Perlemuter at the Paris Conservatory. She also studied with Dieter Weber in Vienna before moving to the United States to continue her musical education at the Juilliard School of Music. While at the Juilliard School of Music, Mikami played the Prokofiev Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra and gave her debut recital at the Carnegie Hall in New York. Since then, she has given several recitals in New York and toured around the US performing solo repertoires, concertos and chamber music. Mikami studied the chamber music with various artists including Artur Balsam, Felix Galimir and Joseph Fuchs. With Joseph Fuchs Mikami has performed various concerts. For a long period of time, Mikami was involved in teaching at the Summer Courses, which were held at the University of Maine and the Alfred University in the US and was also invited to give master classes in Prague, Czech Republic (2004) and in Leipzig, Germany (2005-2008) for the European Music Festival. Currently she is a professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music.

Hamao Fujiwara (Violin) Born in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1947, Hamao Fujiwara first learned the violin at the age of three from his mother, a musician who graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts. At the Toho Gakuen School for Music, Fujiwara studied with Saburo Sumi, Toshiya Eto, Yoshio Unno and Hideo Saito and with Joseph Fuchs at the Juilliard School of Music in the United States. Fujiwara also studied conducting with Hideo Saito and Kazuyoshi Akiyama while at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Fujiwara won various prizes including the first prize at the Student Music Concours of Japan and the Music Competition of Japan, cosponsored by NHK and Mainichi Newspaper, the second prize at the Paganini International Competition for Violin in Italy and the third prize at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium. At the time, these were the highest prizes given to any Japanese Violinist. Based in America for over 20 years, Fujiwara performed extensively around the US playing solo repertoires, chamber music and appeared in numerous concerts. In 1971, Fujiwara performed in front of the Emperor and the Empress of Japan at the welcoming concert for their European visit, sponsored by the Belgium government. In 1972, Fujiwara gave his Concerto Debut performance in the US with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra as a substitute for Nathan Milstein, one of the most prestigious violinists of the 20th century. Fujiwara had been a member of faculty at the Juilliard School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music and an associate professor at the University of Michigan. Fujiwara has been appointed the solo concertmaster position at the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra since November 1992. He is also a professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and the guest professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts since April 1993. In 2007, Fujiwara gave a recital at the Kioi Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Photo: Masashige Ogata

Seiji Kageyama (Violin) Seiji Kageyama graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts with the highest score. He won the first prize in the elementary and the junior high school category at the Student Music Concours of Japan. During the high school, Kageyama was given a prize at the Music Competition of Japan and also received the Matsushita prize. In 1980, Kageyama won a prize at the Kirishima International Music Festival, the second prize at the Tokyo International Music Competition by Min-On (in Chamber Ensembles) and was also awarded the Hideo Saito Prize. In 1981, Kageyama was awarded a prize at the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. He also won the highest prize at the Long-Thibaud Competition and received three special prizes in 1984 and began to perform at various places in Europe. Since his highly acclaimed recital at the Konzerthausorchester, in Berlin Kageyama appeared with eight different city orchestras including the orchestra from Weimar and Eisenach in Germany. As a soloist Kageyama was invited to play with the Komische Oper Orchestra in Berlin and performed in Munich and Leipzig. In 1995, Kageyama was sent by the Japan Foundation to give recitals in Latin American countries where he also performed with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela. Kageyama recorded his CD debut album “Polonaise Brillante” in 1996. While actively performing as a soloist and as a chamber musician, Kageyama has given master classes at the Kirishima International Music Festival while being a member of the committee of the Festival. Currently he is a professor at the Tokyo College of Music and taking an active role in guiding musicians at the Tokyo University of the Arts and the Toho Gakuen School of Music.

Raphaël Oleg (Violin) Raphaël Oleg was born into a musical family in Paris in 1959 and entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 12, winning first prizes for violin and chamber music in 1976. In 1986 he was awarded First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition and has gone on to earn an impressive worldwide reputation both as a recitalist and as an orchestral soloist. Le Figaro wrote: 'We can place him among the very small number of the greatest international soloists'. Raphaël Oleg has performed with such eminent orchestras and conductors as the Royal Concertgebouw under Chailly, the Philadelphia Orchestra under Maazel, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Marriner, the Munich State Opera Orchestra under Sawallisch and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Berglund. It was in May 1987 that he first came to the attention of British audiences, making an exceptional début by standing in at short notice to play the Brahms concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra under Jeffrey Tate.  Subsequently, he has appeared in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Libor Pesek, and he plays regularly with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Ulster Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Oleg has also been a regular visitor to Prague: he appeared in the 1996 Prague Spring Festival with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and returned in November 1996 to perform with the Prague Symphony Orchestra.  He made a very successful BBC Proms performance in September 1998 with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He has made five visits to Japan including a tour with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and a performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto with the NHK Symphony Orchestra.  He returned in June 1995 to play all five Mozart Concerti with the Stockholm Chamber Orchestra under Ole Kristian Ruud in Tokyo's Oji Hall.  He has since become a regular visitor in Japan.  Following his first appearances in Australia and New Zealand in 1992, Raphaël Oleg was invited back for a major tour in 1996. Oleg has recently performed in Germany and the UK with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra, Bonn, made his début with the Dresden Philharmonic and Plasson and will return to Weimar next season.  In February 2000 Raphaël Oleg has returned to tour the UK with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Svetlanov. His recital partners include Barry Douglas with whom he made his Wigmore Hall début in December 1995, Anton Kuerti, Artur Pizarro, Pascal Rogé, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Gerard Wyss. In 1992 Oleg's first disc for Denon Records was released; the Brahms Concerto and Bruch No.1 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Pesek.  He has also recorded the complete music for Piano and Violin by Schubert with the pianists Gerard Wyss and Theodore Paraskivesco, the Trios with Imogen Cooper and Sonia Wieder-Atherton, the complete Beethoven piano quartets and 2 cds with repertoire for violin and cello.

Photo: Masashige Ogata

Yuko Uchiyama (Violin) 3歳よりヴァイオリンを始める。桐朋女子高校音楽科卒業後渡英。ロンドン・ギルドホール音楽院にてヴァイオリンを故イフラ・ニーマン氏に、作曲をロバート・サクストン氏に師事。 1997年ドイツで行われたイフラ・ニーマン国際ヴァイオリン・コンクール第2位、国際演奏連盟主催JILA音楽コンクール第1位。 2000年ハットフィールド音楽祭で総合優勝。9月、東京文化会館小ホールにて、日本演奏連盟主催デビュー･リサイタルを行う。 2001年1月に渡米、クリーヴランド音楽院でスカラシップを得て、ドナルド･ワイラースタイン氏に師事。02年5月同音楽院修士課程修了。 ロンドンでマイラ・ヘス財団賞、エミリー・イングリッシュ財団賞、英国笹川財団賞を、アメリカでユービー・ブレイク財団賞を受賞。 2002年8月から文化庁在外研修生としてボストン、ニューイングランド音楽院で研鑽を積む。同年チャイコフスキー国際コンクールセミ・ファイナリスト。2003年3月、ワシントン国際弦楽器コンクール第2位、アーリントン・ヤングアーティスト・コンクール第1位。2004年5月ニューイングランド音楽院を卒業し、マイケル･ティルソン・トーマス率いるニューワールド・シンフォニーで活躍。2005年9月、ピッツバーグ交響楽団入団。 ヴァイオリンを藤川真弓、石井志都子、故イフラ・ニーマン堀 正文、ドナルド・ワイラースタインの各氏に、室内楽をペーター・サラフ、ゴードン・バック、ボロメオ･カルテット、ヴィヴィアン・ワイラースタインの各氏に師事。

Akio Ueki (Cello) Akio Ueki started to learn the Cello at the age of six. After completing his high school education at the Toho School of Music, Ueki studied further at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1994, while still at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Ueki won a prize at the 4th National Chamber Music Competition in the Cello & Piano Duo department and moved to France to study at the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Lyon. He was invited to perform at the Cello Festival in Manchester, UK (1995) and also won a prize in the Cello division at the Music Competition of Japan during the same year. As a member of the Lyon Quartet, Ueki was invited to the Ravello International Chamber Music Festival in Italy (1996) and performed for three consecutive nights. In 1997, Ueki received a special prize at the Kirishima International Music Festival in Japan, and graduated from the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Lyon with a diploma the following year. Ueki then moved to the United States to study further at the Indiana State University and stayed for one year. Back in Japan, Ueki appeared in the Young Talent Debut Concert Series sponsored by the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (2000), gave another outstanding performance at his debut recital at the Tsuda Hall (2001) and was awarded the 1st Hideo Saito Memorial Fund prize from the Sony Music Foundation (2002). Since then, Ueki has performed the Japan premier of Pfitzner's Cello Concerto No.3 with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (2004) and released his first CD "Akio Ueki ?Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata?" (2007). He has played at the Saito Kinen Music Festival with Seiji Ozawa as their music director, the Tokyo Opera Nomori Festival and numerous other music festivals. Ueki is a member of the "Pavimento Japan" a chamber ensemble formed in 2005. Ueki has studied with Keiko Matsunami, Ivan Chifolo and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, while he also learned the chamber music from Koichiro Harada, The Ravel Quartet and Shigeo Neriki.

Photo: karen natsuki

Mari Asakawa (Piano) Mari began her piano studies in Japan at the age of five, and in 1980 moved to the United States. At the age of 15, she won the Westchester Competition, performing the Grieg concerto, followed by a performance of the Bach concerto at Alice Tully Hall. She earned a Bachelor's degree at the Julliard School, where she studied with Georgy Sandor, and received a Masters of Music at Yale University. In 1998, she moved to Italy, continuing her studies with Bruno Mezzena at the Accademia Musicale Pescarese, earning a diploma of the highest honor. Her recent performances include Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3, Beethoven Concerto No. 4, and Mozart Concerto K.466. She was a prize winner at the International Piano Competition "Florestano Rosomandi" in 1999. She has given recitals in various cities in Japan, United States, and Europe, including Tokyo and Kyushu, the Ticino Musica Festival in Switzerland, Naples, Venice, and La Spezia. She has had two acclaimed performances in Oxford’s Holywell Music Room, performing the 4th, 7th, and 8th sonatas of Prokofiev as part of a series of ten concerts throughout England, Italy, and Japan, commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death. In 2004 she recorded the Prokofiev piano sonatas Nos. 6, 7, 8 for the PHOENIX Classics label and performed several successful CD promotional concerts in Japan. Mari serves as an assistant at International seminars and masterclasses to Bruno Mezzena. Most recently, she was appointed to a teaching position at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, where she teaches piano performance.

Photo: Masashige Ogata

Toshiko Tobimatsu (Piano) Toshiko Tobimatsu studied piano at the Kita-Kamakura Joshi Gakuen Music High School and the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Her Teachers include Misako Tachi, Midori Miura, Mikhail Voskresenski, Roland keller, Margit Fussi and Meinhard Prinz. Since her appearence at the NHK-FM "Haruni Sudatsu Shinjintachi" after winning their audition, Tobimatsu has performed at the Kanagawa Prefecture Music Hall for the 81st & the 105th Ongakudo Suisen Ongakukai and the 20th Ongakudon Shinjin Ongakukai, the Hoshino Music Festival in Karuizawa and the 50th Anniversary concert organised by the administration of Zushi town. She also released a music video titled "Piano to tomoni" from the Sony Music Entertainment. In 1989, Tobimatsu won the 2nd prize (no first prize was given) in the category of Duo Performance for Violin & Piano at the 16th Palma d'Oro International Competition in Finale Ligure, Italy. As a soloist, Tobimatsu won the 4th prize at the Claude Kahn International Piano Competition in Paris, France and another 2nd prize (no first prize was given again) at the Palma d'Oro Competition in 1990. While studying abroad, Tobimatsu gave duo recitals with the violinist in Finale Ligure, solo recitals in Vienna while appearing in various concerts around Europe including Italy, Germany, France and Austria. Since returning to Japan, Tobimatsu toured around the country. She performed the Mozart Piano Concerto with the Japan Chamber Philharmony in 2004, a solo recital at Minatomirai Small Hall, a solo & four hands concert with Margit Fussi in 2005 and four hands concert with Margit Fussi in Baden outside Vienna in 2006. Since 2006, Tobimatsu has been involved in producing classical concerts in lecture-recital format in order to gain familiarity for the audience. She has also appeared regularly as a guest speaker on FM Radio programmes. Currently, apart from being a pianist for the Karuizawa Music Summer School and the Kamakura Chorus group, Tobimatsu continues to work with various orchestra members both nationally and internationally and performs as a soloist and as an ensemble pianist for various recitals and competitions.

Photo: Masashige Ogata

Kentaro Yoshii (Cello) Born into a musical family in Tokyo, Kentaro Yoshii learned the essence of “ensemble playing” during early childhood from his father, a cellist and member of the NHK Symphony Orchestra and his mother who was a pianist. At the age of six, Yoshii began to learn the cello first with his father then with Ushichi Omura. During the same period as Hideo Saito, Ohmura studied with Emmanuel Feuermann in Berlin and both of them are now considered as pioneering cellists to popularize the cello as an instrument in Japan. In 1970 despite his acceptance, Yoshii decided to move to Austria shortly after he studied with Keishi Miki at the Tokyo University of the Arts High School. In Austria, Yoshii went to the Vienna Konservatorium and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and studied with Nikolaus Huebner and Wolfgang Herzer. In 1973 Yoshii was given the opportunity to work as an extra for the prestigious Vienna Symphony Orchestra after his acclaimed performance of the Shostakovich cello sonata. Yoshii was the first non-western musician to be accepted into the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, as there was a specific policy towards the employment within the orchestra. After two years with the orchestra, Yoshii was given a rare opportunity to undertake the formal audition and became an officially employed member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1975. As a soloist, Yoshii has given recitals around Germany including Hamm and Altenkirchen (1974) and also formed the Brahms Trio with Werner Ehrenhofer (violin) and Renate Cordis (piano) in 1977. Based in Eisenstadt, Austria, the trio performed in various places and Yoshii later married the pianist Renate Cordis. Yoshii was appointed the position of second solo-cellist at the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1979, yet he continued to accomplish himself as a musician by attending master classes and working with artists such as Janos Starker in 1982, Josef Luitz in 1985 and Pierre Fournier in 1986. Yoshii has given numerous concerts in Japan, Europe and the America. He continues to perform around the world and gives recitals and concerts as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

Photo: Eiji Shinohara

Takahito Asai (Baritone) 北海道釧路市出身。 音楽大学声楽専攻（オペラコース）卒業、同大学院修了。二期会オペラ研修所第41期マスタークラス研究生修了。 平成15年度文化庁新進芸術家海外留学制度研修者として、ドイツ国立カールスルーエ音楽大学へ留学。 第73回日本音楽コンクール第3位、第9回日本モーツァルト音楽コンクール第2位、第12回奏楽堂日本歌曲コンクール第2位、国際モーツァルトコンクール派遣選考演奏会2001優勝、第69回日本音楽コンクール入選、第6回J.S.G（日本シューベルト協会）泉の森国際歌曲コンクール入選、第10回日本声楽コンクール入選、第26回高後賞受賞。 2001年東京文化会館新進音楽家デビューコンサート、第10回ABC新人コンサート、第23回釧路新人演奏会、東京音楽大学卒業演奏会に出演。 オペラでは、「フィガロの結婚」（アルマヴィーヴァ伯爵）、「魔笛」（パパゲーノ）、「椿姫」（ジェルモン）、「ドン・パスクアーレ」（マラテスタ）、「ボエーム」（マルチェッロ）、「カーリュー・リヴァー」（僧侶）等に出演。 コンサートのソリストとして、アムステルダムにてネーデルランド・フィルハーモニー管弦楽団と「カルミナ･ブラーナ」（オルフ）のソリストとして共演した（小林研一郎指揮）ほか、「合唱幻想曲」、「第九」、バッハ、ハイドン、モーツァルト、デュリュフレ、当の宗教曲のソリストとして数多く出演。また、歌曲の分野でもドイツ・日本歌曲を中心にリサイタルを重ね、第139回演連コンサート（東京文化会館小ホール）等にも出演、好評を博す。 2006年9月、浜離宮朝日ホールにてリサイタル開催。 これまでに、持田 篤、中澤 桂、栗林 義信、成田 繪智子、伊藤 功俊、白井 光子、ハルトムート・ヘル、ウード・ライネマンの諸氏に師事。現在、二期会会員、日本演奏連盟会員、東京音楽大学合唱研究員、二期会マイスタージンガー・メンバー。