News

Chamber Music Academy in Tokyo 2025 - Now accepting applications

2024.10.05

Following the Kyoto session in January, we will hold the Chamber Music Academy in Tokyo from March 2025th to 1th in 3. We look forward to receiving your applications.

ⅠOverview

At Music Dialogue, we hope to help young performers to become excellent performers who can understand the essence of ensembles by learning true music-making together with experienced performers through chamber music. This is a rare opportunity to experience the process of music-making at an international level while performing with Heiichiro Oyama (artistic director of Music Dialogue), who has served as music director and principal violinist at various orchestras and music festivals around the world as a conductor and violist, and Tatsuki Sasanuma (a Music Dialogue artist), a cellist who is active as a soloist and chamber musician.

　　→For details and related articles about the "Chamber Music School in Tokyo" to be held in 2024, here.You can see from.

[Period]July 2025st (Tuesday) - 3st (Friday), 11

[Meeting place]Rehearsal: Former Sonoda Takahiro Residence (Jiyugaoka) / Concert: Nakameguro GT Plaza Hall (Nakameguro)　　　　

[Instruments available]Piano, violin, viola, cello　

[Course Content]
-Lessons/rehearsals in which students will form a chamber music group with Heiichiro Oyama and Itsuki Sasanuma.
・Days 1-3: Rehearsals 1-XNUMX hours per day (partially open to the public)
Day 4: Dress rehearsal, performance (open to the public)
The pieces to be studied will be decided by the school principal after examining students' career history, performance experience, desired pieces, etc.

★You will be required to take a two-hour online course in December (such as music history or song analysis) to help you prepare the pieces you will perform.

*As a rule, the orchestra consists of 3 to 5 people, including piano, violin, viola, and cello.
*Due to the composition, songs other than the one you requested may be selected.

[Lecturer's background]

Heiichiro Ohyama (viola) 　After graduating from Toho Gakuen School of Music, he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the UK. He then trained at Indiana University in the US. After participating in the Marlboro Music Festival as a violist in 1972, he was invited to many international music festivals, performing with such famous musicians as Gidon Kremer, Radu Lupu, and Isaac Stern. In 1979, he was appointed principal viola of the LA Philharmonic led by Carlo Maria Giulini, and in 1987, he was appointed assistant conductor to Andre Previn. Since then, he has conducted in various parts of Europe and the US as a guest conductor. He has also conducted many orchestras in Japan. He has served as artistic director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the La Jolla Summerfest in the US. He was the principal conductor of the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra for five years from 1999, and the principal conductor of the Osaka Symphony Orchestra for three and a half years from 5. In 2004, he retired from his 3-year professorship at the University of California. He was the music director of the Nagasaki Music Festival for three years from 2003. In 30, he retired from his 2007-year tenure as music director of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra. In 3, he received the Fukuoka City Cultural Award, in 2017 the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Art Festival Excellence Award, and in 35 the Santa Barbara City Cultural Achievement Award. He is currently the artistic director of Music Dialogue, the CHANEL Pygmalion Days Chamber Music Series, and the Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project in the United States.

Tatsuki Sasanuma (cello)　They received the 20th Saito Hideo Memorial Fund Award, won third place and a special prize in the string quartet category at the 65th Munich International Music Competition, and won first place at the 3 New York Young Concert Artist Auditions, becoming the first Japanese string quartet to win first place in 2019 years since the Tokyo Quartet.
As a soloist, she has performed with major orchestras in Japan, as well as with orchestras such as the Prague National Theatre Orchestra and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra. In June and July 2023, she appeared as a soloist at the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra's regular concert (Bratislava, Slovakia) conducted by Daniel Raiskin and their Japan tour, and in September a live CD of her performance at Suntory Hall was released. As a chamber musician, she has performed both in Japan and abroad with artists such as Argerich, Dang Thai Son, Gitlis, Meyer, Widmann, and the Jerusalem String Quartet, and has been frequently invited to music festivals both in Japan and abroad.
He is a member of the Quartet Amabile, Trio Lisle, and La Luce String Octet, and is a guest principal flute with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. He currently lives in Japan and Paris and is an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth School of Music in Belgium.

II. How to apply

【Subjects】
In principle, applicants must be under 35 years of age and are studying music professionally aspiring to become performers, or are already active as performers, and wish to further improve their performance technique and ability to interpret chamber music.

[Training fee]66,000 yen (tax included)　
*Transportation, accommodation, meal costs, etc. must be borne by the participant.
*No refunds will be given if you cancel after payment has been made.

【Application method】
Please send the following documents to the secretariat by post or email (mihoito@music-dialogue.org) by the deadline. (Please note that submitted documents will not be returned.)

Participation application form
Participants' photos　
Attach image files such as JPG to email. Free size, color.
A recording of your own performance of approximately 1 minutes made within the past year
Please attach and include a wav file or YouTube URL in the email.
One letter of recommendation
A letter of recommendation from a musician. There are no restrictions on the format, so please write about the relationship between the recommender and the applicant, the characteristics of the applicant, and future potential. Please send it directly from the recommender.

*Those who have previously performed with or been taught by instructors (Heichiro Oyama and Itsuki Sasanuma) are exempt from submitting a letter of recommendation.

【Application deadline】Must arrive on Sunday, January 2024, 12

[Selection and notification]We will select applicants based on their application documents and audio recordings and notify the winners by email by Monday, December 12th.

[Others]
・Students can observe all lessons/rehearsals during the period.
・Participants will be responsible for all travel, accommodation, lodging and meal costs necessary to attend the course.

[Organizer, application and inquiries]

Music Dialogue Office:
153-0062-2 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 15-10
info@music-dialogue.org

Chamber Music Academy in Tokyo 2025 Application Guidelines

Chamber Music School in Tokyo 2025 Participation Application Form (pdf)

Chamber Music School in Tokyo 2025 Participation Application Form (Word)

Sponsor: Music Dialogue, a general incorporated association

ー Chamber Music Academy in Tokyo 2024 ー

ー From the daily diary ー

During the dress rehearsal, everyone was likely to stop breathing because of the three things they were thinking: "I have to listen, if I get out of sync, it's bad, I'm nervous...". If we could share our breath, it would lead to "listening" and create a sense of unity in the performance, but it was frustrating that our impatience backfired. However, that was a needless worry, and during the actual performance, I was overwhelmed by everyone's energy. Everyone's enthusiasm to perform well came together, and a sound I had never heard before echoed through the hall. Although it was sometimes strict, I was moved to think that Professor Oyama's feelings (he embraced each of his co-performers as much as his feelings for music) were conveyed to everyone's hearts. I think that everyone will want to pursue chamber music even more after tasting the scenery we were able to see today.

It was very interesting to listen to the live performance of other groups whose rehearsals I had seen several times. I could see the changes that each group experienced due to the tension of the performance, which then influenced each other and led to the music. I felt that one of the charms of chamber music is the music that can only be born at that moment, and the chemical reaction that occurs because of the members. During this period, we were told a lot about the gaze, but at the same time, I felt that it was also necessary to have a mindset of opening up, self-disclosure, and releasing yourself to accept the other person.

I was very impressed by the difference between the freedom I felt at yesterday's concert and the freedom I felt at the beginning of the rehearsal. In other words, I think I was able to feel freedom after deepening my understanding of my own music score and sharing it with everyone. Also, Brahms's music is difficult to read, but once you can do that, the music takes shape naturally. Thank you for all the lessons I've learned.

It was a great experience for me to be able to play a string quintet with my peers, something I don't usually have the chance to do. Professor Oyama's instruction was sometimes strict, and he demanded high standards, so I felt frustrated that I couldn't meet his demands. However, throughout these four days, there were many times when something made sense to me while listening to the lessons, or when I suddenly got a sense of something during the lessons. Another big benefit was that I was able to try to actively bring the sound forward, which had been a challenge for me, during the performance.

ー Scenes from the concert ー