ARTISTS

Special Projects Makoto Yoshida, Clarinet

PROFILE


Yoshida started learning the piano at age 5, the clarinet at 15, and studied conducting with Seiji Ozawa and Yuji Yuasa since 22. After enrolling in the Tokyo University of the Arts, he moved to France to study at the Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional Rueil-Malmaison, where he was awarded unanimously the Excellence Award and won the Virtuoso Award and completed his coursework in the shortest span of merely two years. As the recipient of the grant provided for Upcoming Artists by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, he enrolled top of the class in the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and studied with Michel Arrignon and Pascal Moraguès, and he was also a student of Romain Guyot at the Haute école de musique de Genève. Yoshida won the Michel Arrignon special prize at the 19th Buffet-Crampon-Japan Clarinet Academy and first place in the Wind Section and Audience Award at the 5th Tokyo Music Competition. When the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto (currently Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival) co-produced L’Histoire du soldat with Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Yoshida performed the clarinet part for several years since 2011. In 2012, he participated in masterclasses presented by Tokyo Bunka Kaikan’s “Music Weeks in Tokyo 2012” with worldly renown clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and received the Richard Stoltzman Award for Excellency. As a recipient of this award, Yoshida was invited to perform with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and was highly appraised for his performance. In 2014 he was selected as a soloist for the “Toyota Masters Players, Wien” and embarked on a national tour where he performed Franz Krommer’s Concerto for 2 Clarinets and Orchestra op.91 with clarinet legend Peter Schmidl. In 2016 he debuted at Suntory Hall’s “Chamber Music Garden” festival and performed Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps. At the same festival, he conducted Britten’s Serenade with soloists John Ken Nuzzo and Radek Baborák. In October, Yoshida stepped in for Vienna’s principal clarinetist Daniel Ottensamer at the Kobe Music Festival (Artistic Director, Naoki Hedenborg). In 2017, he presented a recital tour in Europe with pianist Yu Kosuge performing Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata, envisioning the composer’s premiere, and completing the journey with great success. In February 2018, he debuted at Wigmore Hall in London. The following year he performed the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with the Küchl Quartett. His performance was highly praised by music journals, newspapers and critics. In June at Kioi Hall, Yoshida presented an all-Mozart Program, that he created and programmed, displaying his talents also as a producer. In the same year, he performed with Trio Owon led by Olivier Charlier, toured with the Sitkovetsky Trio, and played in chamber music concerts in France, Germany, Austria – he is actively engaged in performances overseas. In 2020, he presented the world premiere of Dai Fujikura’s clarinet solo piece Turtle Totem. In the same month, he performed   Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in Aubergenville and Houdan (France) with Orchestre de chambre Nouvelle Europe conducted by Nicolas Krauze. The following year, Yoshida presented a duo concert with Japanese shakuhachi artist Dozan Fujiwara at Nagara-no-zaza and Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.  He has released recordings worldwide of Brahms’ Complete Clarinet Sonatas and Schumann’s Fantasiestucke etc. with Sony Music. His recordings have been selected by Asahi Shinbun’s CD critic’s choice and a recording journal for chamber music.  Recent activities in Japan include performances in ROHM Music Festival in Kyoto, Suntory Hall for Toru Takemitsu’s 25th death anniversary, Yu Kosuge’s national tour, and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa’s subscription program led by conductor Hubert Soudant. Since June 2022, Yoshida has been producing Kyoto Watabun Orinasukan’s “Salon Concert” and from November he serves as Artistic Advisor of “Mii Tone Project” presented at Mii-dera (Onjō-ji.)

VIDEO&MUSIC

LINKS

Official Web Site makoto-yoshida.com
Twitter @yoshidaclarinet
Instagram @makotoyoshida.cl
Facebook Makoto Yoshida-clarinet
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