Tokyo Music Competition
ICHIHARA Ai
Soprano
Born in: Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
3rd place, Voice Section, The 6th Tokyo Music Competition 2008
Musical Study Experiences
1999 Graduated from Kitakamakura Joshigakuen Girls' Senior High School
2003 Graduated from the Department of Vocal Music, the Faculty of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts
2006 Completed the Master's program of University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
2008 Completed studies at the vocal music course of the graduate school at University of Augsburg, Germany
Became a soloist of Theater Augsburg
Teachers
Studied under Kojima Momoyo, Yasunaga Hideki, Harada Shigeo, Asakura Tami, Helmut Deutsch and Edith Wiens
Musical Careers
| 1998 | 1st Place, the 52nd Student Music concours of Japan 1st Place, the 44th Kamakura city students music competition |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Performed in Baroque Opera "Alarico" (German Premiere) as Placidia in Munich at Prinzregententheater Munich, Byreuth Markgräfliches Opernhaus, and Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe |
| 2007 | 1st Place, the 13th Mozart Music Competition in Japan 2nd Place and Audience Award, the International Singing Competition in memoriam Marcello Viotti "Vokal genial" Performed in "Die Fledermaus" as Adele, Augsburg Performed in Haydn’s "Armida" as a title role at the historic concert hall in Hamburg, Musikhalle (Laeiszhalle) |
| 2008 | 3rd Place, Voice Section, the 6th Tokyo Music Competition Hans Gabor-Prize, the 27th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 1st Place and Walter-Wiedemann Prize, the singing competition of Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg-Augsburg |
Further Activities
Previously performed mainly in Japan and Europe as a soloist with Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Hamburger Camerata, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus and more led by various conductors including Ulf Schirmer, Max Pommer, Hanns-Martin Schneidt. Especially in Germany, Ichihara received high accolades as "A New Star of Soprano World" on a German newspaper, and many of her performed concerts were broadcast on radio, as well as a CD release of oratorio "David in spelunca Engaddi" performed as a soloist from NAXOS label.
Repertoire
Religious Music
Bach's Matthaus-Passion, Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat and various cantatas
Handel’s Messiah, Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Die Jahreszeiten
Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Mass in C Minor
Mendelssohn’s "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Brahms’ Requiem
Fauré’s Requiem
Orrf’s "Carmina Burana"
and numerous others
Opera
from soubrettes to lyric coloratura roles
Others
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4
Vocal part in the orchestral pieces written by Mahler, R. Strauss, Berg and others