The Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra (AYJO) is a multinational jazz orchestra that comprises 28 motivated young musicians from Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia through auditions held in Japan and the respective Southeast Asian countries. The Music Directors for AYJO are Osamu Matsumoto, a trombone player and jazz lecturer at a college of music who has composed and arranged numerous works for big bands and wind orchestras including the Yosuke Yamashita Special Big Band, and Mayuko Katakura, a female pianist who has come under the spotlight since graduating from Berklee College of Music and the Julliard School. Starting from mid-August for about 10 days, AYJO will undergo intensive rehearsals, and starting from mid-September commence a performance tour in Southeast Asia lasting for about a month, bringing with them a wide variety of music including JAZZ pieces created during the rehearsals, original pieces that harness the youthful sensitivities of the participating musicians, and new pieces provided by outstanding musicians. At the end of January 2016, the impressive results of their hard work will be presented in a concert in Japan. The valuable experiences that the participants gain through their AYJO activities will help them grow by leaps and bounds, and provide an excellent opportunity for developing the potential of those who will lead the next generation of musicians. The 28 young musicians will also deepen their bonds of friendship with one another through the rehearsals and concerts, and put their collective effort into creating music that resounds with a brilliant energy across Southeast Asia and Japan.

Tour

Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra (AYJO) Japan Tour, ASEAN Tour

Members

AYJO is a multinational jazz orchestra that comprises 28 motivated young musicians from Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia through auditions held in Japan and the respective Southeast Asian countries. For more information please see below.

Osamu Matsumoto (Director, Conductor, Composition, Arrangement / Japan)

Osamu Matsumoto is a representative Japanese trombone player, arranger, conductor, and composer who is involved in live performances, concerts, and recording activities with numerous renowned big bands and jazz musicians. With the Yosuke Yamashita Special Big Band, a representative big band in Japan, he has arranged major classical works through an innovative approach with impressive results. These include "Rhapsody in Blue", "Bolero", "Pictures at an Exhibition", and "From the New World", all of which were highly appraised just recently. Apart from his performing activities, he also teaches jazz trombone and jazz arrangement at a music college as a part of his motivated efforts to guide the young. He serves as the Music Director in the AYJO project. His outstanding solo albums include "Wafu" and "Aoki Sora ni Mimodaete."

Mayuko Katakura (Director, Piano / Japan)

Born in Sendai, both of her parents are professional jazz musicians, and was raised listening to jazz from a young age. Mayuko Katakura studied jazz piano at Senzoku Gauen Junior College, Berklee College of Music, and The Julliard School. She is currently an active jazz musician in Japan and overseas, and is anticipated to be one of the most successful jazz pianists in Japan. In 2006, she won the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Pianist Competition, and her first leader album “Inspiration” was awarded the New Star Award in the 43rd Swing Journal Jazz Record Award, among many other awards that she has received. She serves as the piano and rhythm section instructor for the AYJO.

Takumi Nakayama (Members, Alto Sax / Japan)

Born in Shizuoka in 1992, Takumi Nakayama started out on the piano at age of 5, and learned of the saxophone and jazz when he was 12. He graduated from Kunitachi College of Music at the top of his class. He has studied the saxophone under Yoshiyuki Nakayama, Atsushi Ikeda, and others. To date, he has performed with Toshiko Akiyoshi (pf), and Yosuke Yamashita (pf), among other musicians. As the lead alto saxophone in the High Society Orchestra at Waseda University, he received the top prize in the Yamano Big Band Jazz Contest for two consecutive years and received the top soloist prize. He is now an active performer mainly in his own quartet, as well as a composer/arranger, and is constantly on a quest for music that can strike a deep chord in the hearts of people.

Yuri Kishimoto (Members, Alto Sax / Japan)

Born in Kyoto in 1992, Yuri Kishimoto began learning the saxophone when she joined the school brass band during her first year at junior high school. During high school, she was assigned the 2nd Seat in the Kentucky Camberland Youth University Band when studying English in the US and has performed on tour within the state of Kentucky. In 2011, she entered Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, and turned her focus to jazz. She has studied under Bob Zung, and was an active member of the Get Jazz Orchestra (as Concert Mistress). She graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in 2015. She is currently the leader of the combo band “gon quintet,” as well as an active performer in musicals and jazz clubs in Tokyo.

Geraldo Bhaskara Putra Sibbald (Members, Tenor Sax / Indonesia)

Born in Jakarta, Geraldo Bhaskara Putra Sibbald started out on the classical saxophone at the age of 6. He stepped into the professional music scene when he was 11, and began performing easy-listening music under the stage name "Bass G." Together with his sister, he formed a saxophone duo called "G&B." He counts Michael Brecker as one of his major influences, and became deeply devoted to jazz after learning about the musician. He has performed in many jazz festivals in Indonesia, and performed on the same stage with Indonesia's jazz legends, Benny and Barry Likumahuwa. In 2014, he received his solo debut at the Java Jazz Festival.

Bernard Zulfredo Purba (Members, Tenor Sax / Indonesia)

Bernard Zulfredo Purba started playing the piano through self-study at the age of 7, and became involved in musical activities at church. In 2008, he became a member of the choir, Inggou Victory Children Voice. In 2011, he started playing the alto saxophone. He moved to Yogyakarta in 2013, and is currently a tenor saxophone major at Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta (ISI Yogyakarta). He began pursuing big band music at ISI, and is an active member of several bands including the Yogyakarta Symphonic Rockestra. He also performs as a singer, pianist, and player of traditional instruments, and is also expanding his activities through several bands and projects.

Misaki Motofuji (Members, Baritone Sax / Japan)

Born in 1992, Misaki Motofuji began playing the saxophone at the age of 12, and has pursued wind instrumental music diligently since. In 2015, she graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. To date, she has studied classical saxophone under Shogo Sakaemura, chamber music under Yoshiyuki Hattori, and jazz saxophone under Tatsuya Sato. While in university, she performed actively as a member of various ensembles including saxophone orchestras and quartets, big bands, and electronics. She is currently involved in performing activities across all genres of music including jazz, pop, and classical music, and is also engaged in a wide variety of musical expression in the area of contemporary music, which incorporates other forms of performing arts in addition to music.

Kai Takaara (Members, Trumpet / Japan)

Born in 1992, Misaki Motofuji began playing the saxophone at the age of 12, and has pursued wind instrumental music diligently since. In 2015, she graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. To date, she has studied classical saxophone under Shogo Sakaemura, chamber music under Yoshiyuki Hattori, and jazz saxophone under Tatsuya Sato. While in university, she performed actively as a member of various ensembles including saxophone orchestras and quartets, big bands, and electronics. She is currently involved in performing activities across all genres of music including jazz, pop, and classical music, and is also engaged in a wide variety of musical expression in the area of contemporary music, which incorporates other forms of performing arts in addition to music.

Ravee Treesaksesakoon (Members, Trumpet / Thailand)

Born in Bangkok in 1992, Ravee Treesaksesakoon chose French horn as a member of the school band during his first grade of junior high school, at the same time that he started out on the trumpet. In 2009, he began to specialize in the trumpet and jazz after performing at the Thailand International Jazz Conference, and enrolled in the College of Music, Mahidol University, with a major in jazz. He has performed with various big bands and ensembles as the lead trumpeter. In 2011, he performed in a big band in Germany, where he visited as an exchange student, and participated in many musical activities including the Frankfurt Youth Symphony Orchestra. Apart from studying, he is currently involved in a wide range of activities, participating in many jazz and music camps, and performing for recordings of his own band as well as in many events.

Terdrid Rueangroj (Members, Trumpet / Thailand)

Terdrid Rueangroj began learning music at the age of 11. Although he first began learning the flute and the melodeon, he began learning the trumpet in junior high school, and became a member of Rajsima Wittayalai School. Thereafter, he studied at the Royal Thai Air Force School of Music. He is currently enrolled in the Jazz Studies Department at Rangsit University. In addition to studying under Vanich Protavanich and Denny Euprasert, he also plays in the RTAF Symphony Orchestra, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, and the RSU Jazz Orchestra. To date, he has participated in various music camps in Thailand and abroad, and received an award in the Thailand Trumpet Competition in 2012.

Rafael Rubio (Members, Trumpet / Philippines)

Rafael Rubio is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music, University of Santo Tomas. He studied the trumpet under Roger Llado and Xavierernest Celestial. He began learning to play the trumpet at the age of 10, and his first teacher was his father who is a band conductor. When he was 16, he joined the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band where his talents blossomed. He is also a member of various orchestras including the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed in a band festival in Taiwan in 2014. In the same year, he won first place in the trumpet division of the National Music Competition for Young Artists in the Philippines.

Shigetaka Ikemoto (Members, Trombone / Japan)

Born in 1996, Shigetaka Ikemoto began playing jazz trombone around his first year of junior high school. He was twice awarded the soloist prize at the Japan Student Jazz Festival during his junior and senior year of high school. Currently enrolled in Keio University, he serves as the lead trombone player in the Keio Light Music Society. During his senior year high school, he had learnt under Hiroshi Munekiyo, and is currently a student of Eijiro Nakagawa. He is putting much hard work into practicing every day, keeping in mind his motto of becoming a trombone player who can also play solos.

Melvin Perido (Members, Trombone / Philippines)

Born in Cavite in the Philippines, Melvin Perido enrolled in University of Philippines College of Music in 2009 after graduating from Tanza National Comprehensive High School. There, he majors in trombone, and is polishing his skills under the tutelage of Professor Rodney Ambat and Cornelio Ramos. He is also a member of the UP ROTC Symphonic Band, UP Jazz Ensemble, and Metro Manila Concert Orchestra, and is involved in a diverse range of activities that include performing in live concerts outside of school.

Mariko Maeda (Members, Trombone / Japan)

Mariko Maeda started out on the piano when she was 3 years old, and began playing the trombone at the age of 10. While studying at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, she began learning under Osamu Matsumoto, Tomonao Hara, and Yukiyoshi Arimasa. In 2012, she began to engage in musical activities with the big band called Mariko Hirose and Purple Haze, which purses a new sound that departs from typical concepts of music, and also joined the Alpaca Jazz Orchestra, which is centered on young musicians based on the concept of concerts that are easy to understand and enjoyable for audiences from children to adults. She is active in helping to expand the breadth of these activities. Currently, she is a member of Stompers, led by Seiichi Nakamura (sax), and is active as a leader in her own musical unit.

Jirapat Praeprasert (Members, Euphonium / Thailand)

Jirapat Praeprasert began learning music as a baritone player in a marching band in 2000. In 2007, he began learning to play the euphonium at Kasetsart University, and has performed on many occasions with the university’s band, KU Wind. He is a student of K. Sawaddee-sook, among others. He studied under Kanrit Sawaddee-sook and others, and graduated from the university in 2011. He is currently an active member in several orchestras, and pursuing his Master’s degree at Mahidol University. He is also an active Thai Yamaha artist. In 2014, he had the first recital with his brass band for the Yamaha Artist Concert Series. He also teaches the euphonium at Kasetsart University and Silpakorn University.

Masahiro Yoshioka (Members, Tuba / Japan)

Born in 1991, Masahiro Yoshioka began learning the tuba during his first year in junior high school. He graduated from Musashino Academia Musicae in 2014. To date, he has studied tuba under Momo Sato and Kiyoshi Sato, and chamber music under Yutaka Tobe and Roger Bobo. While studying at university, his musical activities focused on classical music, including playing in orchestras and wind bands, and was selected to join the Musashino Academia Musicae Orchestra and Wind Orchestra. Currently, he is continuing with his performing activities as a freelance tuba player, mainly as an extra, and also teaches tuba and brass instruments.

Masato Yoshikawa (Members, Flute / Japan)

Born in Kanagawa, Masato Yoshikawa is a graduate of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. He has studied flute under Nami Goto, chamber music under Kimio Yamane, Japanese music under Kohei Nishikawa, and jazz theory under Yoshihiko Katori. He began composing and arranging music through self-study as a high school student, and is also involved in publishing activities today. In university, he was selected to participate in the big band, Get Jazz Orchestra. He is currently a live performer and recording artist, but also participates in regional activities. He is an arranger in the unit Ensemble Signal, as well as a flute player with Syuto Nakamura Usual Name as well as Mariko Hirose and Purple Haze. In 2014, he began conducting flute and ocarina lessons at Yamaha.

Xu Kai Xiang Rit (Members, Flute / Singapore)

Xu Kai Xiang Rit began learning music at the age of 9. He won the US National Flute Association’s Jazz Competition three times, a feat that is a first for an Asian. He has entranced audiences across the States , and performed together with renowned jazz flautists including Hubert Laws. He is a graduate of the Classical Flute Department at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (the music college under the National University of Singapore). This autumn, he will be graduating from the Jazz Performance Department of the Manhattan School of Music. Based in Singapore, he is an active jazz flautist, composer, educator, and band leader. He is drawing much attention as an up-and-coming musician who will lead musicians of his generation.

Prapanpong Maneewong (Members, Clarinet / Thailand)

Prapanpong Maneewong began playing the flute and khaen (a traditional instrument from Thailand) when he was 10 in the marching band at school. He began learning to play the clarinet in junior high school. He majored in music education at the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, where he studied classical music and jazz. He is currently enrolled in the Master’s program at the Faculty of Music, Silpakorn University. He is an active member in many orchestras, including the Thai Youth Orchestra, and also performs in a jazz band. He placed first in the Thailand International Band Competition, and was commended in the Thailand Clarinet Competition. Apart from his performing activities, he is also involved in a wide range of activities as a lecturer, conductor, as well as composer and arranger.

Peter Ocampo (Members, Clarinet / Philippines)

Born in Bulacan in the Philippines, Peter Ocampo is a member of the Wind orchestra at the University of Santo Tomas while studying there and is a clarinet soloist in Banda 31, which is based in his hometown. When he was 16, he performed the solo parts in “Dreaming of the Masters Clarinet Jazz Piece” by Allan Gilliland, and “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin in a concert at the University of Santo Tomas. In 2014, he also participated as a saxophone player in a concert by the Bavarian Youth Jazz Orchestra held at the University of Santo Tomas.

Yukiko Kitazume (Members, Clarinet / Japan)

Born in Kanagawa, Yukiko Kitazume is a graduate of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. She has studied the clarinet under Hitoshi Hoshino, chamber music under Hitoshi Hoshino, and Japanese music under Kenji Yamaguchi. She received the encouragement prize in the woodwind category for university students in the 24th Junior Classical Music Competition in Japan. While studying, she also taught young players in junior high school bands in Yokosuka City. She has performed at welfare facilities for the elderly, and in solo performances as well as salon concerts for chamber music. In 2012, she formed the chamber music trio, Ensemble SIGNAL, which comprises flute, clarinet, and piano, is involved in performances at many places.

Patrick James Aguilar (Members, Clarinet / Philippines)

Patrick James Aguilar majored in the clarinet at the University of the Philippines, and began performing jazz in class alongside with classical music. He is a member of the symphonic band at University of the Philippines, as well as of the brass band in his hometown, Las Pinas. Since 2014, he has also been performing in the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra. In 2012, he joined the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. While continuing with his performing activities, he is also currently engaged in arranging popular music, and has begun conducting the newly formed college band, Bulacan Agricultural State College Wind Ensemble.

Muhammad Nur Ikhsan (Members, Clarinet / Indonesia)

Muhammad Nur Ikhsan majored in classical music while studying at Indonesian Institute of the Arts. He is currently learning to play the clarinet and saxophone. Besides being an active member of the clarinet quartet, He also performs in special events as a band member. He began studying music in 2011, and performs both classical music and jazz. He is also active in various orchestras in Indonesia and participates in jazz events in Yogyakarta, and is expanding the scope of his musical activities.

Dino Yulio Wijaya (Members, Clarinet / Indonesia)

Born in 1996, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Dino Yulio Wijaya began learning to play the clarinet from his father at the age of 10 with his brothers. In 2011, he studied in a senior high school of music under the tutelage of Gampur Irianto and others. He currently majors in Western music studies at Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta (ISI Yogyakarta). Besides being an active member of the national youth orchestra, Gita Bahana Nusantara, he is also an active member in various orchestras including the Indonesia Youth Symphony Orchestra and Granadilla Clarinet Quartet.

Pawin Limkangvanmongkol (Members, Piano / Thailand)

Pawin Limkangvanmongkol began his music education at the age of 4 at music school, and began taking individual piano lessons at the same time. After entering the College of Music at Mahidol University in 2008, he was selected to become a member of the Mahidol Jazz and Big Band, a representative band of the university. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the same College of Music. He also participates in music camps held in Thailand, Europe, the US, and other countries. Apart from studying, he performes in several jazz scene in Bangkok, as well as in numerous festivals including the Hua Hin Jazz Festival. He also has a strong track record in winning awards at the Thailand Jazz Competition, and leading his band to victory at the Thailand International Jazz Competition.

Nohara Okamoto (Members, Bass / Japan)

Born in Chiba in 1993, Nohara Okamoto began learning to play the bass guitar seriously during her senior year in high school. In 2015, she graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. In 2012, while she was still a student at the university, she performed in the Taipei International Jazz Festival (TIJF). In 2014, she formed her own band, Gemini Ludens, comprising piano, bass guitar, and vocals. She is taking up the challenge of performing music from a wide range of genres, from original compositions, to pop and jazz standards.

Fumihiro Ibuki (Members, Drums / Japan)

Born in Hokkaido in 1990, Fumihiro Ibuki has been involved in the live sessions and recordings of various artists such as Ayano Uema, Vanilla Beans, and Blue Peppers, as well as live sessions and tours of musicians from Japan and abroad, including Jun Kajiwara, Akira Wada, Koki Ito, and Alex Sipiagin. He is also an active member of the Emotional Contemporary Rock Band O.P.P.A.I, which he leads, the Twin Guitar Funk/Blues Band, The Megane Brothers, and Romania Oarikui, among others. He won the grand prix in the general drums category of the Strongest Player Contest 2011 organized by Rittor Music.

Nagisa Uchida (Members, Vibraphone / Japan)

Born in Saitama in 1989, Nagisa Uchida is a graduate of the Comprehensive Music Department, Conservatoire Diploma, of SHOBI College of Music. She began learning music through the electone at age of 3. She took up percussions at the age of 13, and played keyboards and percussions in the marching band. She performs in volunteer concerts at welfare facilities and nursing homes. In 2014, she reached the nationals in the Japan Classical Music Competition as a solo percussionist. She is also active as a singer-songwriter. She published a video of herself on YouTube showing the process of composing a piece used in DTM. Alongside her live performing activities, she is also currently busy with recording activities for the release of her works.

Jacques Dufourt (Members, Percussion / Philippines)

Jacques Dufourt majored in Asian music while studying at the College of Music, University of Philippines. Under the influence of his father, who was a member of the first Afro-Latin band in the Philippines, he began playing instruments at the age of 2, had a first gig on stage at the age of 4. He is currently an active member of the UP Tugtugang Musika Asyatika, which performs with Japanese Koto, Chinese Sizhu, Indonesian Gamelan, Korean SamulNori, as well as traditional music from various parts of the Philippines. He also plays percussions in the Bob Aves Jazz Group, which performs Filipino World Jazz, and Latin percussions in the UP Jazz Ensemble. He also performs Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian groups in Manila.

Muhammad Abdul Karim B.AhmaZafiruddin (Members, Percussion / Malaysia)

Muhanmad Abdul Karim B. Ahmad Zafiruddin showed his innate musical talents soon after he was born, banging on pots and pans. Although he had learnt music through self-study, he enrolled in the Akedemi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) in 2009 and began to undergo music education. This was when he came to know of Latin percussion. He began performing in 2005, and started his professional career in 2010, performing actively in Malaysia as well as in the US, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. He is also currently engaged in recording and music arrangement activities.