Yokoyama Katsuya

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan in 1934, he studied shakuhachi of the Kinko school from his grandfather, Koson YOKOYAMA, and his father, Ranpo YOKOYAMA. In 1959, he studied with Rando FUKUDA and Wadatsumido I. In 1961, he formed the Tokyo Shakuhachi Trio with Kohachiro MIYATA and Minoru MURAOKA, and in 1963, the three of them together helped form the Nihon Ongaku Shudan (Ensemble Nipponia) with the intent of creating a new Japanese music using traditional instruments. Then in 1964, he founded the Shakuhachi Sanbon Kai with Reibo AOKI and Hozan YAMAMOTO which cut across school differences in the shakuhachi world.

In November 1967, he performed in New York City in the premiere of Toru TAKEMITSU's "November Steps" with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Seiji OZAWA. Since, he has performed on over eighty different occasions with orchestras in Europe and the United States. He won one of the top awards in the 1973 Japanese Art Festival. He has also performed with the NHK Symphony Orchestra on various occasions including at the opening of the Sydney Opera House and at the 1974 United Nations Peace Concert. He has performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Paris Festival, and today continues his performances and composing both in Japan and abroad.

Website: http://www.komuso.com/people/Yokoyama_Katsuya.html