A Profile of Bass Solo, Chikara Kishimoto

Bass Solo for Symphony No.13 "Babi Yar" at the 5th Concert and for "The Execution of Stepan Razin" at the 8th Concert

1972: Gaduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Won the 1st prize at the 41st Japan Music Competition and the special prize at the 17th Competition for Dispatch Abroad.
1973: Performed bass solo at the recording of Shostakovich's "Song of the Forest" produced by Toshiba.
1974: Finished the master course at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts. Won the 1st prize at the 5th International Tchaikovsky Competition.
1976: Received a grant from the Japanese Ministry of Culture and studied in Italy and Austria.
1977: Graduated from the Santa Cecilia Academy of Rome. Won the silver prize at the 33rd Geneva International Music Competition, and the silver prize at the 28th International Music Competition "G. B. Viotti".
1984: Held the 4th recital. Awarded the prize of the Ministry of Culture Art Festival for "Evening of Songs by Shostakovich"
1992: Performed bass solo of Shostakovich's symphony No.14 at the concert of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama).
1993: Performed bass solo at the world premiere of Tan Dun's "Orchestral Theatre II"
1994: Released CD "Don Quixote's Serenade"
1995: Published "Songs of Mussorgsky" from Zen-On Music Co. Ltd.
1996: Published Shostakovich's "10 Poems" from Zen-On Music Co. Ltd.
1997: Held the 11th recital "Evening of Songs by Shostakovich, Sviridov and Weinberg".

He has performed in a variety of repertoires such as Beethoven's 9th symphony, Shostakovich's "Song of the Forest", and in operas as Zalastro, Duke Bluebeard, Basilio, Salieri, Alfonso, Bartolo, Osmin, Philip II, Fiesco among others. He has also appeared in many TV and radio programs, such as "Untitled Concert". He especially dedicates himself to Russian music as his lifework, and has premiered many of Shostakovich's vocal works in Japan.

He studied under Mutsumu Shibata, Mitsuko Ono, Yasumoto Suga, and Kozo Urayama. Currently an instructor of the Musashino Academia Musicae and the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi, he is a member of juries of the Japan Music Competition. He is also a member of the Japan-Russia Musician's Association and a member of Nikikai Opera Company.