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Multi-directional Opera
for the 21st Century

Japanese Site
Whaletone Opera
- Act 3 Guest Artists
Ayako Nakura
Ayako was born in Chiba, Japan. After graduating from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, U.S.A with Distinction in Performance, she undertook a Baroque Study Course at Kunitachi Music School in Tokyo, Japan. She is a prize winner of Early Music Contest in Yamanashi, Japan.

She frequently appeares both as a soloist and a chorus member in concerts and recordings in Tokyo for the Baroque repertoire including Bach’s Cantatas and Passions, French Baroque Operas, and Italian Baroque Operas, as well as Renaissance and Medieval repertoires.

Her recent concerts includes English lute songs and Irish traditionals. She has sung with Bach Collegium Japan, Conversum Musicum, Cappella and Les Boreades.

Fuyuki Yamakawa
Yamakawa was born in London in 1973. He completed a master's course in Graphic design and video art at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Along with his visual art activities, he has been creating and performing sound construction works and improvisational expression. In 2001, he won the Grand Prix and Audience Award at the 1st Khoomei Festival in Japan (September) and started his professional career as a voice performer.

In 2003, he was invited to the 4th International Khoomei Festival, winning the Avant-garde award and has become known as an Avant-garde Khoomei singer. In 2004 he performed in the Fuji rock festival (August), sonarsound tokyo 2004 (October).

Though based on Asian tradition, his vocal style is modern and original. He creates amazing acoustics with rich harmonics through his own voice. Recently he started incorporating medical instruments in the performance to amplify sounds from the body. By his voice, he controls the tempo and velocity. Resultant rhythms are then digitally interpreted as light effects.

Tomoca Nagasu
Tomoca began studying Kinko Style Shakuhachi and Satsuma Biwa at age 10. Later, studied Shakuhachi under living national treasure, Goro Yamaguchi.

She graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music majoring in Shakuhachi and was also the representative of Japan at The International Lute Festival held in Germany (Dresden) and in addition, winner at 9th Annual Hasegawa Kengyo National Competition of Japanese Music (Biwa).

She has actively participated in a variety of fields, including overseas performances, school-campus performances, and TV/Newspaper appearances.

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