Role

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Composer

Period

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Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

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Chamber

 

Michio Kitazume was a Japanese composer of classical music who was born on December 3, 1948, in Tokyo, Japan. He was the son of a jazz pianist and a classical singer, and he grew up in a musical family. His parents encouraged him to pursue music, and he began studying the piano at a young age. Kitazume attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where he studied composition under Akio Yashiro and piano under Toshiko Tamura. He graduated in 1972 and went on to study at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg in Germany. There, he studied composition under György Ligeti and piano under Alfons Kontarsky. Kitazume's early works were influenced by Ligeti's avant-garde style, but he later developed his own unique style that blended traditional Japanese music with contemporary Western classical music. He was particularly interested in the use of percussion instruments, and many of his works feature complex rhythms and intricate percussion parts. One of Kitazume's most famous works is his percussion concerto, "Side by Side," which was commissioned by the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1981. The piece features a solo percussionist who plays a variety of instruments, including marimba, vibraphone, and glockenspiel. The concerto is known for its complex rhythms and virtuosic percussion parts, and it has been performed by orchestras around the world. Another notable work by Kitazume is his opera, "The Moon Princess," which was premiered in 1993. The opera is based on a Japanese folktale and features a blend of traditional Japanese music and Western classical music. The opera has been praised for its beautiful melodies and inventive orchestration. In addition to his compositions, Kitazume was also a respected music educator. He taught at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and he was a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego. He was also a member of the Japan Art Academy and the Japan Society for Contemporary Music. Kitazume's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Japan Academy Prize for Best Music in 1994 and the Suntory Music Award in 2000. Sadly, Michio Kitazume passed away on January 21, 2021, at the age of 72. However, his legacy as a composer and educator lives on, and his music continues to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

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