fineNF

Artists

Nagaokakyo Chamber Ensemble
        

was founded in March 1997. Led by Yuko Mori and supported by her experience and skills with ensembles, it has quickly developed into a group of rich musicality. The ensemble is formed by young musicians who are active performers in Japan, Paris, Chicago, Spain and Finland.

Yuko Mori
        

     Music Director, Violin
     The late professor Hideo Saito at Toho Gakuen School of Music, who had also been the professor of Seiji Ozawa, had found the special talent in Yuko Mori as an educator, and asked her to promise to look after the future Japanese musical education. However, Mori, having studied in Czech Republic with Maria Holonova, decided to study further in France with Michele Auclair and postponed her return back to Japan to study more.
     Mori's professional career has led her to play with L'Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francois Paillard, L'Orchestre de Chambre des Musiciens de Paris, La Grande Virtuoses Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy amongst many others. Between 1977 and 1987, she was a member of the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
     Between 1988-1996, Mori was the Associate Professor at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, and in 1989, she has opened the Kyoto Academy of French Music where many distinguished French teachers and musicians would come to work every year.
     Having established the Nagaokakyo Chamber Ensemble in Kyoto in 1997, Mori has since 1999 been the Professor at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University.
     Since her student days in Europe, Yuko Mori has been at the front of all major musical scenes and has studied and learned the various music styles from various eras including the Renaissance, Baroque, Classic to Contemporary and Opera music. She has further created her own method of ensemble playing, using the breathing and hearing techniques.

     Yuko Mori was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1991 and Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2003 from the Government of France.

Ikuyo Kamiya
        

studied at Toho Gakuen High School.
In 1964, she won the first prize at the Japan Music Competition after which time, she went on to study at the Essen National Music Academy in Germany with Klaus Hellwig and Stefan Askenaze.
After having won a prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium in 1972, Kamiya has appeared regularly in recitals and festivals both in Europe and Japan with much success.
Kamiya's recordings include more than twenty released from the RCA label. Her recording of Beethoven's 'Appassionata' which was released in the United States, made an incredible sales record of more than 20,000 copies sold within the U.S. Continent alone. This is the second recording for fine NF Label after her previous recording made in Moscow with Beethoven Fourth and Grieg Piano Concerti.

Cello Ensemble Saito
        

The violoncello, having been the late Hideo Saito's own instrument, Cello Ensemble Saito was founded by his students in memory of his 7th anniversary of his death. Their first performance took place in May 1982 with twenty-eight worldly active cellists including Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Ko Iwasaki. Their success later led to the foundation of Saito Kinen Orchestra in September 1984 at the tenth anniversary of the late Saito's death. The Cello Ensemble Saito has performed seven concerts including that of May 2002 to commemorate the 100th year of Saito's birth. They have performed at the American Cello Congress in Arizona in 1996 and the following year, were invited to perform at the First International Cello Congress in St Petersburg where their performance was highly received by Janos Starker and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Juro Aoki
        

     Juro Aoki was born in 1915 into the family whose business was chemical medicine trading in Tokyo. This business character led him and his siblings to grow up studying German and French. His upbringing and environment were such that he was always surrounded with music and literature at home.
     Aoki began his cello lessons with Arnold Fischer, one of his father's merchants from Germany and a former student of Julius Klengel in his country.
     Making his NHK debut after the Second World War, Aoki performed in many solo and chamber music concerts in Japan. Included in these concerts were many Japan premieres of works for cello by Martinu, Prokofiev and others. Later, Aoki has formed a string quartet together with W Schtanforgen and has performed Japan premieres of works by Hindemith, Ravel, and Britten which opened new doors of opportunities to the world of chamber music in Japan.
     Aoki teaches cello and chamber music classes mainly at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo and devotes his time to educate many of the young and upcoming artists.
Aoki received the Shinnittetsu Music Award in 2005.

Joseph Lin
        

Violinist Joseph Lin has earned broad recognition for his mature artistry. Hailed as a “master of the violin” by the Boston Globe, and a “superb performer” by The Strad, Joseph Lin began studying the violin with Mary Canberg at the age of four. In high school, he continued his studies with Shirley Givens at the Juilliard Pre-College division. During his undergraduate years, Joseph studied with Lynn Chang in Boston where he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000. In 2002, Mr. Lin began an extended exploration of China, and in 2004 he studied Chinese music in Beijing as a Fulbright scholar.
　 Mr. Lin was awarded First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in 1996, and was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts the same year. In 1999, he became the youngest musician ever to be chosen to receive the Pro Musicis International Award. In 2000, Mr. Lin won one of the top prizes at the Hannover International Violin Competition, and the following year he won First Prize at the inaugural Michael Hill World Violin Competition in New Zealand.
Joseph Lin has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Boston Symphony led by Seiji Ozawa, the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s led by Peter Oundjian. Joseph’s festival appearances have included Ravinia, Caramoor, Tanglewood, and Marlboro.
In recent years, Joseph Lin has performed throughout Japan as a recitalist as well as a soloist with such orchestras as the New Japan Philharmonic and the Sapporo Symphony. He has recorded the works of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ferrucio Busoni on the Naxos label.

Eusia String Quartet
        

Eusia String Quartet was formed in September 2000.
Professor Yuko Mori, who has also been their primary coach, brought the members of the quartet together. The members of the quartet share a common background in musical training and ensemble playing in Nagaokakyo Chamber Ensemble. Mr.Zitoun and Mr.Takagi met in Lyon, France in 1991 while attending the National Superior Consevatory of Music.
The name EUSIA is a hybrid of the three continents that the members of the quartet represent. Mr. Tateno is from Helsinki, Finland and Mr. Zitoun is from Paris, France (Europe). Ms. Ogura is from Nara and Mr. Takagi is from Osaka, Japan (Asia). This quartet is the winner of the 2001 Fischoff Chamber Music competition and is based in Chicago, Illinois (USA). The Eusia String Quartet performs regularly in Japan, Finland, and the US.

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