About Masato Suzuki

Born in 1981 in Den Haag, Netherlands, Masato Suzuki received his bachelor’s degree in composition, and master’s degree in early music from Tokyo University of the Arts. He also received his master’s degree in organ at the Conservatorium Den Haag, graduating with the top grade. He studied composition from Masayuki Tominaga, Atsutada Otaka, and Hiroshi Aoshima, conducting from Yukio Kitahara, organ from Masaaki Suzuki, Jos van der Kooy, Makiko Hayashima, and Keiko Utsumi, harpsichord from Bob van Asperen, piano, fortepiano and chamber music from Michio Kobayashi, Konrad Richter, Akira Miyoshi, Toru Kimura, Jakob Stämpfli, Tomoko Kato, Stanley Hoogland, Satoru Sunahara, and Roger Vignoles. Currently residing in Netherlands, he is active as composer, pianist, harpsichordist, organist, and conductor, organizing and performing in various concerts. As a player of Bach Collegium Japan since 2002, he has participated in their regular concerts, recorded the entire cantatas of J.S. Bach (BIS), and participated in overseas concert tours. In 2005, he formed Ensemble Genesis with the violinist Yukie Yamaguchi. While performing innovating concerts with music ranging from Baroque to contemporary utilizing original instruments, he also served as the musical director of the group. After the success of their concert series at Hakuju Hall (Tokyo), the NHK produced a show called Ensemble Genesis ~Light and Shadow~. Their highly acclaimed performance of Euridice’s lament in 2011 at Kanagawa Art Theatre combined music, dance, video, lightings, and electroacoustics; they have performed throughout Europe. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the principal conductor of Yokohama Sinfonietta. He appeared at Toppan Hall lunch time recital (June, 2007), Tokyo Opera City recital hall「B→C」(May, 2008), La Folle Journée au Japan special concert (2010). In March, 2004, he held a portrait concert which included a performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His restoration of the missing movement of Bach’s Cantata no.190 which he did while he was a student at Tokyo University of the Arts is published from Carus. His Apokalypsis II was premiered by Sette Voci conducted by Peter Kooij at the music festival Melos Logos (Weimar, Germany), and the score is kept at the Anna Amalia Bibliothek in Weimar. His other works include Safran for choir and piano (text by Michizo Tachihara), commissioned by Chor Frosch, YOKOHAMA for organ and its combination mechanism, commissioned by Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, Apokalypsis V for four instruments, commissioned by Musiker Witz, De Profundis Clamavi on Psalm 130 for choir a cappella, commissioned by Tokyo Musik Kreis, and many others. (as of 29 February 2016)