Masanori Oishi

Receiving his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (now Tokyo Unversity of the Arts), Oishi went to France to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 2001. He graduated with top honors (mention très bien) in saxophone, chamber music, and free improvisation. The same year he advanced to the school’s 3rd level Chamber Music Course (Classe de Musique de Chambre, 3e cycle de perfectionnement), completing it in 2007. From 2002 to 2004 he studied on a research grant from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs in their Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists.

Before returning to Japan in 2008, Oishi played not only in France, but in  various countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.

His participation in the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation-sponsored recital series B→C 100 garnered him high acclaim. Subsequently, he appeared in such events as the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation Composium, the Suntory Foundation for Art’ Summer Festival, and the Takefu International Music Festival. He also appeared in 2008 in a dance collaboration at the late Pina Bausch’s dance festival in Germany (Internationale Tanzmesse NRW).

He has worked extensively, focusing on contemporary and classical music, but also playing concerts, on television and radio, in addition to recording music for commercials. He has released two albums with the Blue Aurora Saxophone Quartet, of which he is a member. His contemporary music group, Tokyo Gen’On Project received the 13th Saji Keizo Prize. He is a lecturer at Tokyo National University of fine Arts and music, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, and Toho College of Music.

Photo credit: Akira Uehara