OPERA GALA CONCERT BY SOLOISTS FROM JAPAN

OPERA GALA CONCERT BY SOLOISTS FROM JAPAN
16:00, 19 October, Saturday. 2019
Program
Part I
1. Tomo Sone, dance artist
Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque
2. Mariko Yoneyama
Giacomo.Puccini: ” Tu che di gel sei cinta” from Opera Turandot
3. Junko Shimizu
Georges Bizet: “Habanera” from Opera Carmen
4. Ayako Suehiro
Amadeus Mozart : “Ach, ich fuhl’s, es ist verschwunden” from Opera Die Zauberflote
5. Miwa Watanabe
Jules Massenet: “Va! laisse couler mes larmes!” from Opera Werther
6. Keiko Kuki
Johann Strauss II: Fruhlingsstimmen
7. Ikuko Ogino
Enrique Granados: “The Maja and Nightingale” from Opera Goyescas
8 Mariko Yoneyama
Giacomo.Puccini: “Senza mamma” from Opera Suor Angelica
9. Junko Shimizu
Giacomo Puccini: “Quando me’n vo” from Opera La Boheme
10. Ayako Suehiro (Should be 2 arias)
Vincenzo Bellini : “ Oh! quante volte” from Opera I Capuleti e i MontecchiGaetano
11. Miwa Watanabe
Jules Massenet: “Air des lettres” from Opera Werther
12. Junko Shimizu
Giacomo Puccini: “O mio babbino caro” from Opera Gianni Schicchi
13. Keiko Kuki
Giacomo.Puccini: Vissi d’arte, Vissi d’amore” from Opera Tosaca

PART II
14. Japanese anime song: The theme of Pocket monsters
15. Hristina Hristova
Mascagni: “Son pocchi fiori” from Opera L’Amico Firtz
16. Mariko Yoneyama
Alfredo Catalani: “Ebben? Ne andro lontana” from Opera La Wally)
17. Ayako Suehiro (Should be 2 arias)
Giuseppe Verdi : “E, strano” from Opera La Traviata
18. Ikuko Ogino
Sadami Uematsu & Mariko Matsumoto : Haha (Mother)
19. Ayako Suehiro (Should be 2 arias)
Kosaku Yamada (1886-1965) : Karatachi no Hana (Trifoliate Orange Flowers)
20. Ikuko Ogino
Tamezo Narita (1893-1945): Hamabe no uta (Song on the Beach)
21. Junko Shimizu
Hideo Kobayashi(1931-2017): Karamatu (Pine Tree)
22. Mariko Yoneyama
Ikuma Dan(1924-2001): Ajisai (Hydrangea)
23. Miwa Watanabe
Ikuma Dan (1924-2001): Boat Song from 5 Fragments
24. Keiko Kuki
Hideo Kobayashi(1931-2017): Hana no Harutsugedori (Nightingale of flowers)

1. Tomo Sone, dance artist
Tomo Sone was born in Kyoto. She worked with several ballet companies in Japan, then from 2001, worked as a freelance dancer with Japanese renowned choreographers. She moved to Tel Aviv, Israel in 2008. In 2010, she established Japan-Israel International Dance Project with Israeli choreographers and dancers. The project have held several performances such as “BEFORE PUPA by Tomo Sone+guests” (2011), “Full Moon Week”(2013), “Las Meninas by Tomo Sone+Guests”(2014), “An Empty Chair”(2015, 2019), and held dance workshops in many places in Japan.

She is working as an independent choreographer, performer and teacher. Her works are often inspired by interdisciplinary activities and in the past few years, collaborated in her pieces with artists such as animators, paper artists, film director, visual artists, composers and musicians.
Her solo works “Las Meninas”(2014), “Folded, Cut and Crumpled”(2015), “Mobius” (2015) were premiered in Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Nowadays she is expanding her activity internationally. In 2017, Awarded Interdisciplinary Residency at Hospitalfield, UK. Since then she has been awarded residency programs in many places and presented her works worldwide.
Awarded “A New Artist for Art and Culture” by Kyoto Municipality in 2010. Besides it she has been funded by several companies such as Arts Support Kansai and Asahi Group Art Foundation(Asahi Beer Company).

Website Tomo Sone https://tomoguest.wixsite.com/dance

2. Mariko YONEYAMA, Soprano
She has graduated from Soai University Department of music vocal music major with a first-class honors degree. Finished postgraduate course in music. Received the diploma of Conservatorio di musica “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano.
She has selected as a soloist for the concerts of Soai Orchestra, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and Soai Philharmonic. She has good reputation for performing various concerts, opera and music theatre such as main role Princes Katsura in the premier of music theatre “Jujyagaike no Hanayome” (Bride of snake in Jujya-pond), Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni”, Mara and Maya in “Buddha – a spiritual seeker”, and soloist for Beethoven’s symphony No, 9, Moriguchi Music Festival, special concert in Tsukiji Hongan-ji Buddhist Temple and Negoro-ji Buddhist Temple etc.
Recital in the festival “Dreams and chance for promising youth” organized by Wakayama Soroptimist International. Singer of the national anthem in the pep rally for Wakayama team of National Athletic Meet at Nagasaki.
Trainer for Wakayama Mixed Choir, Chor Rainbow and Voice therapy Group.

3. Junko SHIMIZU Soprano
She has started to learn piano since her childhood. Graduated from Tokyo National University of Arts, Vocal music department. Studied vocal music under Yoshinobu KURIBAYASHI, Akihiro HONDA, Chieko TERATANI and Sadako MINE.
Her voice has a wide range from low to high, she has a large repertoire of alto and soprano.
In July 2019, she released her debut CD album “Al di là” as a Jazz singer J Shimizu produced by famous Jazz artist Akira Matsuo. She made guest appearances on The Shenzhen International Model Audition in 2018, IPOP Canada Vancouver International Fashion Festival and The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Summer Festival in 2019, expanding her field of activity to overseas.

4. Ayako SUEHIRO Soprano
She has graduated from Osaka College of Music and finished Osaka College of Music Undergraduate Program Music Course. Finished Master courses of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Vienna Master Course and Weikersheim Master Course. She has won various awards, such as the 1st place at the 16th Iizuka New Face Music Competition, 1st place at the 10th Takarazuka Vega Music competition, 1st place at the 11th Wakayama Music Competition, 2nd place at the 6th International Lied Competition of J.S.G., winner of Tokitada Sakai Music Award 1999, Selection Committee Encouragement prize at the 4th Matsukata Hall Music Award, Amagasaki Citizen Art Encouragement Prize 2002 and New Artist Award at The Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA) The National Arts Festival 2017.
She has sung major soprano roles and always get a high reputation, such as Cio-Cio san in “Madame Butterfly”, Mimi in “La Bohème”, Tsū in “Yūzuru (Twilight Crane)” under the button of Ikuma Dan, Susanna in “Le nozze di Figaro”, Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte”, Pamina in “The Magic Flute”, Zerlina in “Don Giovanni”, Adina in “L’elisir d’amore”, Gretel in “Hansel and Gretel”, Hanna Glawari in “The Merry Widow”, Eurydice in “Orphée aux Enfers”, Midori in “Iwai Uta ga Nagareru Yoruni (When a celebratory song flows at the night)”, Moriko in “Eiko no Inochi (Beyond Brain Death)” Ännchen in “Der Freischütz”,and Militrisa in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”.
In the concert field, she also has good reputation for singing Japanese Lied, German Lied as long as
French songs, Enka (traditional-style Japanese ballad), Children songs and musicals.
Member of Japan Federation of Musicians, Japan Schubert Society, The Japan Association for Research in Singing, The Tokyo Chamber Opera Theatre, Kansai Nikikai Opera, Amagasaki Arts Association, Nishinomiya Music Association, Kobe Musician Association, Kyoto Musician Club, Kobe Nami no Kai and La Société Mélodie française de Kyoto.

5. Miwa WATANABE Mezzo Soprano
Graduated froom Kacho Girls High School and Kobe Yamate College, Music department Vocal music course. She studied under Yaushiro TSUKADA while she was in college and then up until now studying under world tenor singer Uwe Heilmann learning vocalization, sacred music, vocal music and arias of opera from baroque era to modern era.
She has appeared various concerts and started planning concerts and having a good reputation such as classic music concert in schools and charity concert to support Great East Japan earthquake disaster reconstruction.
Recently she organized “Michiko Kumagai and Miwa Watanabe Joint Recital” sponsored by CBC Television and Classic Nagoya, cooperation with Valor Holdings Co., Ltd. And supported by CBC Radio.
She is also active to teach young students choral music, vocal music and piano.

6. Keiko KUKI, Soprano
Keiko graduated from Music Performance Department of Osaka University of Art.
She ever appeared on the stage: 12 Voices of Japanese Opera “The Country of Gold”, role of Maria of Musical “Sound of Music”, role of woman judge of Musical “Woman”, role of Olga of Operetta “The Merry Widow”, and role of Adele of Operetta “Die Fledermaus”.
She was awarded prize of encouragement at 16th Wakayama Music Festival and the top prize at Osaka final of 19th Japan Classical Music Competition.
She made recitals every year from 1988 to 2018.
She was invited to sing at the official banquet of Japanese Pavilion of EXPO 2015 MILANO and she released CD commemorate the EXPO titled “Songs from Heart”.
She performed in various museums and art galleries in Japan in occasions of hear husband, Saburo Kuki’s exhibition of paintings and also in China at Luoyang Museum in 2018 and 2019.
She is the member of Kansai Nikikai Opera,Takarazuka Federation of Musicians, Ninishomiya Music Society, Performing group “Red Dragonflies”. She is a jury of Japan Classical Music Competition. She runs the voice training and vocal music class “Bella Voce”

7. Ikuko OGINO Soprano
She learned piano under Yoko IKEDA and vocal music under Akeshi WAKAMOTO at Kobe College. She graduated from Kobe College with a double major in piano and vocal music. She has selected for Kansai New Face Concert and Kobe College New Face Concert as a singer.
Then she moved to Germany and started help with various exhibitions for handicapped children together with Wilhelm Faut, Cellist at small villages in Stuttgart, Potsdam, Augsburg etc. in Germany.
She took the Master Class of Jörg Demus in Salzburg, Austria and selected to perform in closing concerts at Schloss Mirabell.
She won the gold prize and Kobe Overseas Chinese Association prize at The 6th China Music Competition, vocal music division.
In 2010 she organized Japan-China friendship concert in Roppong, Tokyo and received congratulatory message from Chinese Ambassador to Japan Mr. Cheng Yonghua.
In 2017 she performed Alto soloist of Beethoven’s Symphony No,9 with 21st Century Symphony Orchestra at The Symphony Hall, Osaka.
She is currently working on performance in both piano and vocal music.
Member of Kansai Nikikai Opera.