page_title: Yasuo Watani
section_title: Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio
hierarchical_section_title: Yasuo Watani / Career / Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio
caption_attribution_description: English: Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio performing Manjushage Fantasy (曼珠沙华) at The Arts House
context_page_description: Yasuo Watani is a Japanese chromatic harmonica player. He was born in Kyoto, Japan and had his first harmonica lessons with Tadao Kobayashi in 1966. After graduating from Doshisha University in 1984 with a degree in Economics, he studied the chromatic harmonica with Helmuth Herold at the Hohner-Konservatorium Trossingen in Germany from 1984 to 1988. He also learned the harmonica from the Canadian harmonica soloist Tommy Reilly. Watani was invited to stay on as a Lecturer at the Hohner-Konservatorium and taught from 1988 to 2002. Since 2005, he is a Music Professor for harmonica at Senzoku-Gakuen College of Music, Japan. He has been invited to judge at many harmonica competitions and festivals, including World Harmonica Festival and Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival.
context_section_description: In 2012, Watani embarked on a collaboration with cellist Tomoya Kikuchi and pianist Gakuji Arao, who joined him on stage and in the studio as the Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio. The harmonica-cello-piano trio, the world first of its kind, held its inaugural concert at Asahi Hall on 7 April 2012. The concert was jointly organized by the Asahi Shimbun and the Japan Musical Association. They have since reprised their performance annually.
  In 2013, the Trio recorded an international album entitled Matador, The Harmonica of Passion which features works of Astor Piazzolla, Pablo de Sarasate, James Moody, Manuel de Falla, Ernesto Lecuona and Pablo Casals. The Trio had its first overseas concert Classical Harmonica Trio at The Arts House in Singapore in 2016.
  Since the establishment of Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio, Watani has been actively introducing this performing model by performing with pianists and cellists outside Japan. In 2012, he performed Camille Saint-Saëns's The Swan, Astor Piazolla's Libertango and Vittorio Monti's Czardas with cellist Chan Wei Shing and pianist Mariko Watani in Singapore.   In 2014, Watani performed Piazolla's Oblivion with Bösendorfer pianist Josephine Koh and cellist Natasha Liu in a harmonica-cello-piano trio in the concert entitled 'A Harmonica Fantasy' at Esplanade.
  The other members of the Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio
  Tomoya Kikuchi (cellist): Tomoya Kikuchi graduated with a degree in Music from Tokyo University of the Arts. Currently, he is the Cello Soloist in the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a member of Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, Alpha String Quartet, Nomad Ensemble, Baroque 21 Ensemble and Rococo Ensemble. In addition, Kikuchi is a part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts, Toho Gakuen School of Music and Toho Gakuen College of Art.
  Gakuji Arao (pianist): Gakuji Arao graduated with a master's degree from Tokyo University of the Arts. He studied composition under Masayuki Tominaga, Yoriaki Matsudaira and Ichiro Nodaira. He was also a piano student of Mayumi Nozawa and Ikuko Endo. Arao is a piano accompanist widely trusted by instrumental and vocal musicians. He has been appointed part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts and assistant professor at Mie University. Currently, he is an associate professor at Tokyo College of Music. He is a member of the Japan Society of Contemporary Music.
caption: Yasuo Watani Harmonica Trio performing Manjushage Fantasy (曼珠沙华) at The Arts House
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