Opening Concert

  • Date: May 3rd (Thu), 2018 – 6pm open / 6:30pm start

    click to enlarge

  • Place: Kawasaki Gender Equality Center “Scrum21″ Hall (850 seats)

Mizonokuchi 2-20-1, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa (Google map)

  • Entrance Fee: [For adults] JPY 2,000 (in advance), JPY 2,500 (at the door)

    [For children] JPY 1,000 (in advance), JPY 1,200 (at the door)

(all seats are non-reserved) (admission permitted for 6 or older)
Ticket available from Feb 20th.

Purchase from ｅ＋(イープラス) (Event page) (Japanese)
or at closest convenience-store (FamilyMart). (ticketing service fee is not included)

  • Performers: Kimiko Wakiyama, Geert Chatrou, Mitch Hider, Carole Anne Kaufman, Akiko Shibata, Ryosuke, Rika Mori(p), Mitsuhiro Matsuda(p), Yumi Makino(fg)

Kimiko Wakiyama (whistling, uke, p)

Born in Fukuoka,Japan.
While in Music College, started the performance activity with original style ”Hikifuki” e.g. whistle while play the piano.
In 2007, Kimiko Wakiyama won the grand championship at International Whistlers Convention (IWC) in North Carolina.
Many newspapers reported it.
Next year, She released a CD ”Whistling Paradise” from Victor Entertainment.
In this year,she she released a CD same record company.
She joined music festival in Hawaii, NY and Seoul as a member of Sekiguchi Band (Southern All Stars).
As a Pioneer of Japanese Whistler, she perform on TV, Radio.
She gave a musical piece to NHK educational TV.
Having whistling classes,and released two tutorial books.

Official site : http://kimikowakiyama.com/

Geert Chatrou (whistling)

Geert Chatrou has been whistling as long as his memory goes. He plays the recorder and flute, but prefers whistling, using only his lips as an instrument. This he does so well, that he already won the World Championships three times.
It all started as a practical joke: his sister-in-law entered him in the International Whistlers Convention 2004 in Louisburg, NC, which he won. He returned in 2005 and succesfully defended his title. In 2008 the World Championships were held in Japan, and Geert proved to be the world’s best once again.
A prizewinning documentary about the International Whistling Convention in 2004 was made by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, both Emmy-Award winners. This documentary, called Pucker Up, the fine art of whistling, has been screened in over 40 countries.
In 2005 Geert released a well received CD with the band Ocobar, featuring Fay Lovsky.
In April 2008 his second album has been released, bringing mainly classical music and featuring various (inter)national renowned musicians.
A journalist wrote as a headline in the newspaper, reviewing one of Geert’s concerts:
‘Chatrou got a standing ovation, after he blew away the audience…’
Web site: http://www.geertchatrou.com/

Mitch Hider (whistling, uke)

Mitch Hider of Eugene, Oregon, USA, has been a professional whistler and musical variety performer for 40 years. All of his early life, he heard beautiful whistling at home by his older brother Ed. Mitch was the 1982 International Grand Champion and is in the U.S. National Whistlers Hall of Fame. He is a noted whistling historian.
Mitch also sings, yodels, scats, and plays ukulele, harmonica, drums and many unusual instruments. He is the only whistler to do a duet with an elephant playing a harmonica. Since 1998, Mitch has been an emcee and performer for international whistling competitions in Japan, America and Canada. He held an Oregon whistling festival from 1979-84.
“The art of international whistling was inspired originally by the songs of birds. The birds were the first musicians and whistlers,” says Mitch. “The shakuhachi and similar instruments were created to imitate bird songs. Most people enjoy whistling at an early age. I have heard babies whistle a note. Whistling is a musical holiday for the lips celebrated every day!”

Carole Anne Kaufman (whistling)

Carole Anne Kaufman is a two-time world champion whistler and a recipient of IWC’s International Whistling Entertainer of the Year Award. Known as the Whistling Diva, she produces and organizes the Masters of Musical Whistling International Festival and Competition near her home in Los Angeles California. Carole is dedicated to realizing her mission of promoting musical whistling as artistry on a global scale and has compiled the most complete database of whistler’s websites in existence at www.MastersofWhistling.com. The Whistling Diva has been featured in many publications, television, and radio and has performed on stages around the world. Carole’s recently published Masters Thesis, “Heresy to Artistry: The Upward Mobility of Musical Whistling Through Rhetorical Reframing” is available for free online or at www.WhistlingDiva.com. Ms. Kaufman is humbled and honored to share the WWC stage with whistling legends who bring so much respect and joy to the art form.

Akiko Shibata (whistling)

Tournament Results
– IWC2008 in Japan : 2nd Place (Popular 1st Place)
– IWC2009 in U.S. : 3rd Place (Classical 1st Place)
– IWC2010 in China : 1st Place (Popular/Classical 1st Place)
– Puckerama in Japan : Puckerama of The Year (The Most Valuable Player Award)
– IWC2012 in U.S. :1st Place (Popular/Allied Art 1st Place)

Web site: http://akikoshibata.com/

Perform with: Mitsuhiro Matsuda (p)

Ryosuke (whistling, g)

Born in Tokyo, Japan. He learned the “Warbling” method (whistling with a trill) from the professional whistler Geert Chatrou and also studied under professional whistler Kimiko Wakiyama before starting his own whistling career.
Ryosuke has been featured on radio as well as on TV and he likes to perform many different kinds of music, such as Popular, Jazz, Brazilian music and Classical while always trying to find new possibilities for the art of whistling.
Since April 2015, he has produced his Whistling Workshop in Tokyo and he invented some iPhone applications for the practice of whistling, called the “WhistleTuner” – useful for checking the pitch.
In 2012 he released his CD “Baroque Whistling – Ballet Des Champs-Élysées -”.
In 2013 he won 2nd place in the Allied Arts category at the 40th International Whistlers Convention in the US.
In 2015 he received the Special “Allen deHart Award” for Whistling Artist of the Year and for Expanding the Awareness, Enjoyment and Respect of Musical Whistling as a Fine Art. He won 2nd place for “Hikifuki” (self-accompaniment) Division at The Masters of Musical Whistling International Festival in the US.
In 2016 he released his 2nd CD “WHISTLING FROM THE HEART”.
In 2017 he won 3rd place for Pre-recorded Accompaniment Division (Classical) at The Masters of Musical Whistling International Festival in the US.
Web site: http://studioloro.jp/

Rika Mori (p)

She started taking piano lessons at the age of four. She studied at the Toho Gakuen Music School for Children, the Toho Gakuen Music High School, and graduated from the piano department of the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. Received the Tateshina Kogen Music Festival Award in 1987. Performed in the Yomiuri Concert by Rookie Musicians in 1991. Mori has performed piano concertos with orchestras as a soloist since her college years. She is now active in various fields as soloist and chamber music performer, and also as an official pianist for overseas bassoon players in master classes. Studied piano with Kiyoshi Arai, Yoshiya Iwamoto and Hidemitsu Hayashi. Her chance of playing as an accompanist in the whistlers’ recital in 2003 led her to further performances with many Japanese whistlers in the series of the “Whistlers Music Festival” since 2005. Mori performed with overseas whistlers such as Geert Chatrou, Mitch Hider and others. in the concert of 35th International Whistlers Convention 2008 in Japan. She has been enjoying extending her activities as an accompanist for many whistlers, such as in the “Whistling Festa Puckarama! 2012”. She also worked as a judge in 2014 for the Convention in Japan (IWC) .

Mitsuhiro Matsuda (p)

Web site
reareco.com
　
　
　
　
　

Yumi Makino (Fagotto)

　
　
　
　
　

(180422 updated)