OSHIMA Yoshimi

Yoshimi Oshima is representative of the bold entry of Japanese wind players on the international stage of interpreters of Classical music. He was born in Osaka in 1958 and graduated in music at Kyoto in 1981 as one of the most talented young flutists. From 1981 to 1984, he attended post-graduate classes at the Hochshule fr Musik in Vienna, under Wolfgang Schulz. Oshima has received numerous awards at international and prestigious Japanese competitions.

From 1987 to 1989, Yoshimi Oshima spent time in Prague as a principal flutist of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. Upon returning to Japan he took up an equally important seat in the Gunma Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 his career as a successful soloist of all the important Japanese concert halls began. Since then he has been invited every year to perform in Europe. He has played in Vienna, London, Prague, Florence, Rome, Brussels, Dresden and other countries. He participated in several International music festivals as a soloist, inclusive ‘53^rd Prague Spring’, ‘36^th Moravian Autumn’. He has collaborated with Wolfgang Schulz, Peter Schmiedl, Zdeek Tylar, Josef Suk, Josef Hala, Jaroslav Tma, Michala Petri, Bohdan Warchal, Claude Lelong, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Shizuka Ishikawa, the Praak Quartet, the Doleal Quartet and the Kocian Quartet, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra, the Suk Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Janaek Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others.

He has numerous discography included “Vivaldi: Flute Concertos” with the Suk Chamber Orchestra; “ Mozart ,Flute quartets, flute concerto ”with the Kocian Quartet & The Praga Camerata, ” Flute Sonatas of Antonin Reicha”, “Flute Sonatas of J.S.Bach & C.Ph.E.Bach”.”Astor Piazzolla”with Jaroslav Tuma. Of his CD, particularly Mozart concerto for flute k313 and flute quartets merit special mention. Some of his concerts have also been broadcasted on radio and television.His playing is highly valued particularly for the “warm,human atmosphere” it creates.

He has been a professor of several Master class – Kusatsu international summer music academy, International Meisterkurse in Koblenz (Germany) , Scuola di alto Perfezionamento Musicale in Saluzzo, Aosta, Benevento and Rome Arts Academy(Italy), Prague Summer Academy and St.Mary’s College of Maryland(USA).

Yoshimi Oshima has been teaching at the Kyoto City University of Arts, Faculty of Music, since 1997.