Early music performer. After graduating from Waseda University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, having majored in Philosophy, he studied organ and harpsichord at the Sweelinck Academy in Amsterdam. He earned diplomas in choral and orchestral conducting at the Rotterdam Conservatorium (Codarts), and studied early music vocal ensembles under Rebecca Stewart at the Brabant Conservatorium. While in Europe, he worked as a church musician, choir conductor, and keyboard player, as well as engaging in researching and performing Gregorian chant. In 1997, he founded Vocal Ensemble Capella in Tokyo, which continues to perform Renaissance and Flemish sacred music pieces. In 2005, he founded the early music ensemble Contraponto, serving as its leader. The ensemble focuses on performing Baroque sacred music, primarily from the 17th century. He also teaches orchestras, choirs, and vocal ensembles specializing in early music, promoting performances grounded in a thorough understanding of early music. He is the director of the Fons Floris Early Music Academy and a lecturer at the Kunitachi College of Music.

Official website:http://www.fonsfloris.com/tetsi/

Founded in 2005 under the leadership of Tetsuro Hanai, this ensemble of early music vocalists and musicians specializing in period instruments has a repertoire centered on sacred music from the late Renaissance through Baroque, with a focus on the 17th century. In 2010, it established an associated choir. The ensemble arranges each piece they perform in accordance with the program, be it individual instrument and vocal ensembles, a cappella choral performances, soloists, choruses, or Baroque orchestras. To maximize the potential of each work, the ensemble aims for a performance style that is committed to the specific era and region of that work. Vocalists and instrumentalists share a common vision not only of music, but of sound itself, with the ensemble aiming for performances that are counterpoint-driven while harnessing each musician’s individual creativity. Their repertoire to date is diverse, including Renaissance music by Palestrina, Victoria, and Gesualdo; the Golden Age of Venetian sacred music by Gabrieli and Monteverdi; the three “great S’s” of German Baroque—Schein, Scheidt, and Schütz; Spanish villancicos and religious works from 18th-century Jesuit missions in Latin America; and French Baroque composers Charpentier, Lully, Du Mont, Campra, Jean Gilles, Couperin, de Lalande, and Mondonville. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015, the ensemble performed Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers) at a commemorative concert in June, which was highly acclaimed.

Soprano: Naomi Hanai, Aya Kaburaki, Naoko Kamiyama, Sachiyo Tamura
Alto / Tenor: Makoto Sakurada, Taku Sato, Kenichiro Watanabe, Seiji Kanazawa, Shinya Numata, Yasunari Tomimoto
Bass: Yasuto Kasuga, Genki Sakurai, Eitaro Matsui
Violin: Mari Ono, Hiroki Tanzawa
Violone: Nakako Nishizawa
Cornett: Kuniko Ueno, Masahito Kasahara, Daisuke Hosono
Trombone: Nobuko Miyashita, Kuniharu Ouchi, Hiroki Sanda
Flute / recorder: Liliko Maeda, Kiichi Suganuma, Yasuto Kasuga
Lute: Hiroshi Kaneko, Asako
Triple harp: Mie Ito
Organ: Naoki Ueo

Official website: http://www.fonsfloris.com/c/