Mami Ichikawa Mami Ichikawa

Violinist Mami Ichikawa has won the special presentation award from Artist International Audition in New York in 2002, which gave her an opportunity to give her New York debut recital at Merkin Concert Hall in 2003.

She received her Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory in Boston and Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music in New York where she was a scholarship student.

While living in New York, she has performed as a member of New England Symphonic Ensemble and Philadelphia Virtuosi. Her venues include Carnegie Hall in New York and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. At the same time, Ms. Ichikawa has been an active violin teacher and she is a certified instructor of Suzuki Association of America.

Currently she works as a violinist and a violin teacher in Tokyo area. She is the founder of Forest Music, and is founding member of a Latin jazz unit “Latin Classica a la Mode”.


 

arikitashinShin Arikita

Is the co-founder of Forest Music. He graduated of Berklee College of Music and published the Japanese edition of “the Brazilian Guitar Book” by Nelson Faria.

He had lived in Tennessee during his childhood and has been performing various types of music. i.e. Church Music, Pops, Jazz, Afro-cuban and Brazilian Music.
 
 
 


 

AekaWtanabeAeka Watanabe

Is a graduate of Toho-Gakuen College School of Music in Japan and of Trossingen National Music College in Germany. She received her Master’s degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She studied under Hakuro Mori, Bonnie Hampton, Sadao Harada, Tadao Iwamoto.

Currently she appears on chamber music, orchestras, and also focuses on teaching with her motto “Share pleasure of playing music”. She is the principal cellist of social orchestra “Orchestrada”.


 

nishinonobukoNobuko Nishino

Nobuko Nishino (soprano) completed her BM in vocal performance at Toho Gakuen School of Music and her MM at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, Chicago. She gave solo recitals in 1999 and 2001 in Chicago and was the member of Grant Park Music Festival chorus from 2001 and 2002, and Saint James Cathedral choir from 2000 and 2002. Opera credits include Die Zauber Floete (Pamina), Mikado (the school girl), and Help! The Grobolinks! (The math teacher). She recently participates in the publication works of the opera by American composer, Gian Carlo Menotti into Japanese.


 

akikokojikaAkiko Kojika

A native of Tokyo Japan, Akiko Kojika is passionate about teaching piano to all levels of students. She holds a bachelor in piano performance BM, Psychology BS from the University of Central Arkansas, and an MM in Piano Performance from the Indiana University. In 2001 she won Honorable Mention in the University of Central Arkansas Piano Competition and in 2004 won the competition. Akiko loves teaching students from 4-5 year old beginners to advanced levels to adult students. Above all she loves to share her passion for music and the piano with her students, respects and communicates well to all small students, and trying to instill this same love and dedication to all those who study with her.


 

Tominaga CelloSaeko Tominaga

Cellist Saeko Tominaga has won the New York Debut award from Artist International Audition in New York, which gave her an opportunity to give her New York debut recital at Merkin Concert Hall in 2003. She was also selected as a performer for “Alumni Winner Series” and gave a recital at Carnegie Weil Recital Hall.

She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, as a top graduate cello majoring student. She continued her study at Illinois State University and the Juilliard School where she received Advanced Certificate. While studying at the Juilliard School, she appeared at Focus Music Festival as a principal cellist of the Julliard Orchestra frequently.

Her recital venues include Weil Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York and Casals Hall in Tokyo.

Currently she is freelancing as a both orchestral player and soloist in Tokyo area. She is a member of “Nihonbashi Quartet”.


 
Hirata Piano Ayumi Hirata

Ayumi Hirata has won numerous prizes in piano competitions worldwide including 1st prize at the Yamaha Piano Festival, Beten Piano competition in Japan, 4th prize in Rizzardo Bino International Competition and 1st prize at the Concorso Internazionale Città di Villafranca in Italy. She also appeared as a soloist with Poland Krakow chamber music orchestra.

She studied the piano at the Toho conservatory in Tokyo with Kooryeong Park where she received her Bachelor’s degree. She continued her study at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with Eliso Virsaladze and Jacob Katsnelson, chamber music with Sergei Voronov, ensemble with singers and opera with Mikhail Nikeshichev. She finished with the highest score, and received her master’s degree.

She has collected enthusiastic acclaim for her concert activity in Japan, Europe and in Russia.

Her recital venues include Music Culture Center in Moscow, Rubinstein Museum, Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Rachmaninov Hall and Malii Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Scriabin Museum in Moscow, concert hall at Chopin collage of music in Warsaw, Festival Pontino di musica in Latina etc, as well at many important halls in Japan such as Salamanca hall, the Saitama Arts Theater, Minatomirai Hall in Yokohama, Kawai in Tokyo, Munetsugu hall, Performing arts center in Nagoya, etc.

During the pandemic period she was invited to series of festivals by Gifu prefecture and gave a solo recital as a final of the festival. The recital was broadcasted in national television.


 
SasakuraPiano Yukiko Sasakura-Camus

Graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music.
Studied under Hiroko Nakano, Mayako Muroi and Etsuko Tasaki.
Graduated from Berlin University of the Arts, Germany. Received German State Soloist Certificate. Studied piano with Professors Georg Sava and György Sebők, and chamber music with Marianne Boettcher and Markus Nyikos.
Performed numerous concerts in Germany and abroad. She has performed solo and duo recitals, chamber music and orchestral collaborations in Japan, Germany, Italy, and the UK, while at the same time focusing on training young musicians.
In 1998, she moved to France to broaden her musical activities. Studied piano with Théodore Paraskivesko, and modern & contemporary music interpretation with Claude Helffer. She has taught at the Croissy and le Pecq Music Schools in the Ile-de-France department and at the Fourqueux School of Music in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and given solo and chamber music concerts in Paris, the Paris suburbs and Brittany. She has also served as a jury member of numerous piano competitions.

Every summer she gives annual concert in Versailles, France.
Since 2023 she has been based in Tokyo.
Lessons in French and German are available.