Takashi Kako Quartet -The Century In Moving Images Suite-

Takashi Kako Quartet

Formed in 2010 by four members on piano (Takashi Kako), violin, viola, and cello, the group performs the music of Takashi Kako. They released their debut album “QUARTET” and “QUARTET II” and “QUARTET III – Suite: THE CENTURY IN MOVING IMAGES” from Avex Classics, and have been active in recording concerts and film soundtracks, and their European performance in 2014 was highly praised. The arrangement of the four members on stage is innovative, bringing new sounds and possibilities to the classical instrument arrangement, and has been described as “beautiful to both the eyes and the ears.”

Takashi Kako

Piano

He studied composition at the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he studied under Olivier Messiaen. He has a unique background, having made his debut as an improvisational jazz pianist while studying in Paris. His compositions range from piano pieces to orchestral pieces, and he has won many awards for his film music. He is known for the theme song “Is Paris Burning” for the NHK Special series “THE CENTURY IN MOVING IMAGES” He is also known as the “piano poets” for the beauty of the tones he plays, and his latest album is “KAKO DÉBUT 50” a collection of film music he has selected himself to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his Paris debut.

Mariko Aikawa

Violin

Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and the Paris Conservatoire. She is active in a wide range of genres, including performing new pieces by Japanese composers, contemporary music, and serving as concertmaster of the Image Orchestra on the liveimage tour since 2007. In 2022, he received the 1st Gratia Music Award Special Prize.

Kaori Minami

Viola

After graduating from the Kyoto Municipal Kyoto Horikawa Senior High School of Music, she graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. She has worked as a support for many artists on recordings and concert tours.

Makito Nishiya

Cello

After graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts and Indiana University in the United States, he served as principal cellist of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and as a part-time lecturer at the Tokyo University of the Arts. He is a member of “Shimizu Nishiya,” a string ensemble that performs his own compositions; the string ensemble “Ishida-gumi”; and Trio Japan. He has served as an associate professor at the Aichi University of the Arts and Music since 2024.