Shin-Ichi Fukuda, guitar

Mr Fukuda possesses an astonishingly large repertoire that includes solo works, concerti, chamber music, and song accompaniments extending chronologically from Renaissance to 21^st

century.

Born in Osaka, Japan in 1955, Shin-ichi Fukuda started his musical studies on piano and later on classical guitar at the age of 11 under the tutelage of the late Maestro Tatsuya Saito (1942-2006). After 10 years of musical education in Japan, he moved to Europe to study at “L’Ecole Normal de la Musique” in Paris with Spanish Maestro Alberto Ponce as part of a course that included musical analysis with, Catalan Composer, Narcis Bonet who was Nadia Boulanger’s main assistant. He graduated from the school in 1978 with the premier prize and a performer’s diploma. He then traveled to Academia Chigiana in Siena to pursue further studies with Italian Maestro Oscar Ghiglia from1980-84 and graduated with the highest honor.

During his time in Europe, he won major international prizes at the 23^rd Paris International Guitar Competition organized by Radio France, the 1st Carpentras International Guitar Competition (south of France), the 4^th Gargnano International Guitar Competition (Italy), and the 27^th Maria Canals International Music Competition (Barcelona, Spain) followed by 1981 highest honor prize in Classical Guitar world.

After 8 years of enriching musical life in Paris, he moved to Tokyo. Mr. Fukuda performs extensively in his home country and abroad including the United States where he made his debut in New York at the Merkin Concert Hall in the course of his 1992 tour. Mr. Fukuda was awarded many prizes for his outstanding performances in his home country Japan from the best prize for his recital in “Osaka Art Festival Award”, two times winner of “The Award of Work of Art” sponsored by Japanese Agency for Culture Affairs to the Muramatsu’s Newcomer Award “The Best Performer of The year”, two times winner of Shizuoka City Culture Award, Ministery of Foreign Affairs “Prize of the year”, and the 2011 Art Encouragement Prize of Music” from the Japanese government.

For more than three decades he has been giving many premieres of important guitar works, highlights of which include, All in twilight (1988) by Toru Takemitsu, Sonata (1992), and Hika in Memoriam of T. Takemitsu (1996 / dedicated to Fukuda) by Leo Brouwer, Sonata (1999 / dedicated to S. Fukuda) by Sergio Assad, Serenade (2003) by Toshio Hosokawa, El Arpa y La Sombra (2005 / dedicated to Fukuda) by L. Brouwer, and Memory of Waves (2011 / dedicated to Fukuda) by Ichiro Nodaira, among others.

His recent projects included exploration of the nineteenth-century guitar repertoire using period instruments including R.F. Lacote (1840), Guadanini II (1829), and for Romantic repertoire, Antonio de Torres (1884).

His performances of modern music and new music in a jazz-fusion idiom have resulted in changing the very concept of classical guitar music and are drawing worldwide attention to Fukuda’s outstanding musicianship, sense of rhythm and feeling for tonal coloration.

Mr. Fukuda is an enthusiastic teacher with pupils who have gone on to gain the highest honors in their careers. These include young Japanese guitarists, Akiko Saito, Kaori Muraji, Daisuke Suzuki, and Yasuji Ohagi, among many others.

A dedicated teacher, Mr. Fukuda’s teaching career spans three decades with regular master classes around the world and multiple positions including guest professor of Shanghai Conservatory (China, since September 2006), guest professor of Osaka Music College (Japan, since April 2011), guest professor of Elisabeth University of Music (Hiroshima, Japan, since April 2014), guest professor of “Alicante Guitar Master” (Alicante University, Spain, since May 2014), and guest professor of Showa Music University (Kanagawa, Japan since April 2015).

A prolific recording artist in his own right, to this day, Mr. Fukuda has released a total of 84 albums (includes CDs, LD, DVD & VIDEO) since his record debut in 1984. These encompass recordings for Japan Victor Entertainment (during 1984-1994), DENON / Japan Columbia (since 1994), Meister Music (since 2000), and finally NAXOS (since 2012).