Yuta Bandoh’s New Work: A Work in Progress
"Chimera – A Fantasy of Methods That Shouldn’t Exist"

Saturday, February 22, 2025, 3:00 PM

Sainokuni Saitama Arts Theater, Small Hall

Yuta Bandoh: Composer / Musician
Junichiro Taku: Flute
Shozan Hasegawa: Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute)
Ami Oike: Violin
LEO: Koto

Yuta Bandoh: Secret Tune “The Melody of Elephant’s Breath” (2024), a piece for solo shakuhachi

Saitama Arts Foundation

 Theater and Concert Hall Function Enhancement Promotion Project
 Japan Arts Council

Yuta Bandoh
Composer / Musician (Born 1991)

Yuta Bandoh is a dynamic composer whose work spans a wide range of styles, exploring themes of defamiliarization and deconstruction. His creations include orchestral and chamber music, immersive sound design utilizing 3D audio, and theater performances. A graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school, Bandoh received the prestigious 25th Akutagawa Composition Award in 2015.
Prominent works include “Hanabi – Piano and Orchestra Concerto” (commissioned by the Suntory Foundation for the Arts), TRANCE (Kyoto Art Center Co-program 2018), and Voice Site (with text by Yumi Fuzuki, a TOKAS Open Site 6 recommended program). In 2022, he released his first album, TRANCE / Hanabi, through Nippon Columbia.
Bandoh is also the founder of Ensemble FOVE, an innovative group that pushes the boundaries of genre and artistic expression. He has composed music for various mediums, including the TV drama “My Dear Exes” (written by Yuji Sakamoto) and the anime adaptation of Kaiju No. 8.

Junichiro Taku
Flutist

Jun-ichiro Taku is renowned for his mastery of extended techniques and ethnic flute styles. Starting his career in contemporary music while at Tokyo University of the Arts, he has premiered numerous works by composers worldwide.
As the leader of the virtuosic flute trio Magnum Trio, he has performed at festivals across the UK, Canada, Russia, South Korea, and more. Taku is also an active studio musician, contributing to soundtracks such as the historical drama Hikaru Kimi e, the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and Nintendo’s Super Mario and Legend of Zelda game series.
Taku gained unexpected fame during the COVID-19 lockdown for his humorous “How to Play the Chikuwa Flute” series on social media, leading to appearances on programs like Untitled Concert on TV Asahi.

Shozan Hasegawa
Shakuhachi Player

Shozan Hasegawa began learning shakuhachi at age 10 under the tutelage of Dozan Fujiwara. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts, he received the school’s top honors upon graduation. Hasegawa’s innovative recordings, including the series All Shozan, showcase new possibilities for shakuhachi music, blending traditional techniques with modern approaches.
Hasegawa is active in both classical and contemporary genres, collaborating with artists like Keisuke Yamauchi and Fujii Kaze, and contributing to shakuhachi music through organizations like the Tozan School and JSPN.

Ami Oike
Violinist

After studying at Tokyo University of the Arts, Ami Oike continued her education at the Lausanne Conservatory, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. A recipient of numerous international awards, she performs widely as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches as a lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Her recordings include ZINGARO!!! with Ensemble FOVE and a solo album featuring works by Bach and Bartók.

LEO
Koto Player

Born in Yokohama in 1998, LEO began playing the koto at age 9 and won the prestigious Kumamoto National Japanese Music Competition at age 16. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts, he has appeared on shows like Jounetsu Tairiku and Untitled Concert.
LEO has performed with renowned conductors and orchestras, including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. He is the first koto player to perform at Blue Note Tokyo and has participated in major music festivals like Summer Sonic.