Kaori Muraji

One of Japan’s leading classical guitarists, Kaori Muraji is equally at home in arrangements of movie soundtracks and pop ballads as she is in traditional classical repertoire. Born 1978 in Tokyo, Kaori Muraji received her first guitar lessons from her father at the age of three, and at 10 studied with the renowned classical guitarist Shinichi Fukuda. She had success from an early age in competitions, and in 1993 gave her debut recital at Tsuda Hall in Tokyo, followed by the release of her debut CD Espressivo. In 1995 she was selected to tour as a soloist with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI on its Japan tour, and was subsequently invited to make her European debut with that orchestra in one of their subscription concerts in Turin. In 1997 she began her studies under Albert Ponce at École Normale de Musique in Paris. In 1999, she performed before Joaquin Rodrigo two of his compositions, Tiento antigno and “En los trigales” from Por los campos de España. With her graduation from École Normale that year, she returned to Japan to pursue her solo career. After making several recordings with Victor Entertainment, she became the first Japanese artist to sign an exclusive international contract with Decca in 2003. Her recorded repertoire is wide, including works by Rodrigo and Stanley Myers, arrangements of works by Schumann, Mahler and Tchaikovsky, and collaboration with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen.