Kaori Fujii on Flute Unscripted: April 6
Video interview with Caity Massoud premiering on Facebook:
5pm ET April 6, 2021
Kaori talks about her childhood in Tokyo and her journey to becoming a prize-winning flutist and philanthropist. She gives some insight into what it takes to be the Founder and President/CEO of her non-profit, Music Beyond.
KAORI FUJII Born in Tokyo and residing in New York, Kaori Fujii has emerged as one of the leading imaginative and creative flutists ever to come out of the classical music world. From baroque to contemporary, it’s her distinctive sound and intensity of feeling that captivates concert audiences and CD-listeners alike.
She has released a total of 8 albums, including “Garota de Ipanema”, which was pre-nominated for the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards (LARAS) under 8 categories.
Kaori has performed with such renowned artists as Ennio Morricone (Composer / Conductor), Justus Frantz (Conductor), Albrecht Mayer (Oboist), Phillip Moll (Pianist), Stanislav Bunin (Pianist), Vienna Piano Quartet, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and Suk Chamber Music Orchestra, to name only a few. Learn more.
In addition, she has graced the stage of leading concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall (New York – USA), The John F. Kennedy Center (Washington D.C. – USA), Alte Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt – Germany), Liederhalle (Stuttgart – Germany), Teresa Carreño Theater (Caracas – Venezuela), Suntory Hall (Tokyo – Japan), and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall (Tokyo – Japan).
Kaori took the first prize in the 7th Japan Woodwind Competition, in the 14th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition, and in the 67th Music Competition of Japan. She was the youngest winner in the history of these competitions. Kaori was also awarded the second prize in the 44th International Competition Maria Canals de Barcelona in Spain, and in the 10th International Flute Competition Friedrich Kuhlau in Germany.
A graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts, and of the soloist class of the University of Music and Performing arts Stuttgart, Kaori has studied extensively with Jean-Claude Gérard, Paul Meisen, Jeannie Baxtresser, Aurèle Nicolet, Wolfgang Schulz, Sir James Galway and Akiko Mikami.
In 2014, Kaori has founded Music Beyond, Inc. – an NGO that empowers communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa by engaging local musicians and youth through education, performance, collaboration, and mentorship. Currently, she frequently visits DR Congo to teach existing classical musicians.