Reison Kuroda

Appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan in 2019, he studied under Living National Treasure Reibo Aoki II and Reibo Aoki III. He is the First Prize winner of the 2018 International Shakuhachi Competition in London, as well as the recipient of the Grand Prize at the Hideo Tone Memorial Japanese Music Competition. He has appeared as a soloist at major international festivals, including ARS MUSICA (Brussels), performing works such as Toru Takemitsu’s November Steps, as well as shakuhachi concertos by Claude Ledoux, Denis Levaillant, Dai Fujikura, Kazutomo Yamamoto, Rafael Nassif, and Yū Kuwabara’s Falling Moon Steps. His career encompasses extensive collaborations with orchestras, annual solo recitals across the globe, and numerous world premieres of contemporary works, through which he pursues the limitless potential of the shakuhachi. His recording credits include contributions to new Kabuki productions such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the video game Final Fantasy X, and the Hollywood television series Shōgun (whose soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award), as well as multiple CDs and radio broadcasts. As an ensemble musician, he is a member of Ensemble Muromachi (recipient of the 13th Keizo Saji Prize), Hougaku Quartet (whose first CD Teruyuki Noda: Works for Japanese Instruments was selected as a “Special Edition Disc” by Record Geijutsu magazine in December 2016, and released The Art of Sankyoku on OCORA/Radio France), The Shakuhachi 5, RigarohieS, and Doppelmond. https://www.reisonkuroda.com/