Kaori Fujii

Born in Tokyo in 1979, Kaori Fujii has emerged as one of the leading imaginative and creative flutists ever to come out of the classical music world. From baroque to contemporary, Kaori plays it all with her distinctive sound and an intensity of feeling that captivates concert audiences and CD-listeners alike. She has performed on tours with such renowned artists as Phillip Moll (Pianist), Albrecht Mayer (Oboist), Stanislav Bunin (Pianist), Gerhard Bosse (Conductor), Justus Frantz (Conductor), Heribert Beissel (Conductor), Ennio Morricone (Composer / Conductor), Vienna Piano Quartet, Vienna String Trio, Suk Chamber Music Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Franz Liszt Chamber Music Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, to name only a few. Kaori has graced the stage of all of the leading concert halls, such as The John F. Kennedy Center (Washington D.C. - USA), Alte Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt - Germany), Festspielhaus (Baden-Baden - Germany), Liederhalle (Stuttgart - Germany), Teresa Careño Theater (Caracas - Venezuela), The Symphony Hall (Osaka - Japan), Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall (Tokyo - Japan), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo - Japan), had numerous concerts broadcast on NHK Television network channels and NTV Television, and made many guest appearances on popular radio shows. In 1996 at the age of 17, Kaori took the first prize in the 7th Japan Woodwind Competition. The next year, she was the first prize winner at the 14th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition, and in 1998, at the 67th Music Competition of Japan. She was the youngest winner in the history of these competitions. She was also awarded the second prize in the 44th International Competition Maria Canals de Barcelona in 1998, and in the Flute/Piano Duo category of the10th International Flute Competition Friedrich Kuhlau in 2003. Other distinctions include the Asahi Newspaper Award and the E. Nakamichi Award. A graduate of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and the soloist class of the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, Kaori has extensively studied with Jean-Claude Gérard, Paul Meisen, Jeannie Baxtresser, Aurèle Nicolet, Wolfgang Schulz, Sir James Galway and Akiko Mikami. The breadth, depth and creativity of Kaori Fujii’s music distinguish her as a trend-setting flutist on the cutting edge of the art.