The second installment of the jointly presented concert series with Club Hillside has been announced, to be held at Hillside Plaza in Daikanyama.

Produced by Keiichiro Shibuya, the series launched its first edition in November last year with Piano, a solo concert by composer and pianist Yuji Takahashi, which sold out immediately.

The second concert, titled MULTIPLE, will take place on April 25. Featuring Yuji Takahashi (piano), Naruyoshi Kikuchi (saxophone), Mayuko Ishigami (violin), Mariko Asabuki (reading), and Keiichiro Shibuya (piano), the performance will unfold a multilayered musical landscape centered on Takahashi’s works from the 2010s.

Ticket Information: https://20260425chs.peatix.com

ABOUT

Date & Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Doors open 15:30 / Concert begins 16:00

Venue: Hillside Plaza, Daikanyama

Tickets: https://20260425chs.peatix.com

Advance: General ¥6,500 / Students & Club Hillside Members ¥6,000

Door : General ¥8,000 / Students & Club Hillside Members ¥7,500
(All prices include tax)
Please check the bottom of the ticket page for details regarding student/member tickets.

Artist: Yuji Takahashi (Piano), Keiichiro Shibuya (Piano), Naruyoshi Kikuchi (Saxophone), Mayuko Ishigami (Violin), Mariko Asabuki (Reading)

Produced by: Keiichiro Shibuya
Co-presented by: ATAK, Club Hillside
Supported by: Arts Council Tokyo [Grant for Cultural Attraction Creation]

Contact : Club Hillside
TEL: +81-3-5489-1267 / E-mail: info@clubhillside.jp
Hours: Tue/Wed/Sat/Sun/Holidays 11:00–19:00 / Thu–Fri 11:00–21:00 (Closed Mondays)

Program

1. Basilic de Messine (2019) — Piano: Yuji Takahashi
2. Seong-hwa (2005) — Violin: Mayuko Ishigami
3. Retinal Tear (2013) — Sax: Naruyoshi Kikuchi / Reading: Mariko Asabuki
4. BLUE (1998/2026) — Piano: Yuji Takahashi
5. ce cours de sable qui glisse… (2014) — Piano: Keiichiro Shibuya / Reading: Mariko Asabuki
6. Alamkara Improvisation (2017/2026) — Piano: Yuji Takahashi & Keiichiro Shibuya / Sax: Naruyoshi Kikuchi
7. Moving Shadows Underwater (2014) — Piano: Yuji Takahashi
8. Die Zeit (2024) — Piano: Yuji Takahashi / Violin: Mayuko Ishigami

(Works 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 composed by Yuji Takahashi / Work 4 composed by Keiichiro Shibuya)

Program Note (by Keiichiro Shibuya)

The idea of creating a concert series together with Club Hillside, centered around Yuji, first emerged around spring last year.

The first concert, held last November, was a solo performance titled Piano, featuring works written in the 2000s. Performed entirely by the composer himself, the four pieces moved fluidly between composition and improvisation, creating a unique sense of time and space—something graspable yet constantly slipping away.

This performance marks the second installment of the series.

This time, I selected performers—and a reader—whom Yuji himself might not have imagined, and constructed the program by cross-referencing an extensive list of his works.

As a result, the program naturally came to focus on works from the 2010s. Yuji will perform my compositions, and I will perform his.

In that sense, this concert is also an attempt to remix the multifaceted musician Yuji Takahashi in collaboration with performers with whom I share close artistic ties.

Reflecting the increasingly multilayered nature of our world—both positively and negatively—the pieces overlap, improvisation enters, and at times diverges.

If, through the layering of fragments, we can discover new resonances and movements, perhaps something new can begin from here—for all of us, including Yuji.

Artists

Yuji Takahashi

Composer and pianist, born in 1938. Studied under Minao Shibata, Akira Ifukube, and Iannis Xenakis. Active as a contemporary music pianist in France and Germany (1963–66), and in the United States (1966–71), where he also researched computer music. Returned to Japan in 1972, later co-founded the composer group “Transonic” with Toru Takemitsu. From 1978–85, led the Suigyu Ensemble, arranging and performing protest songs from around the world. His publications include Yuji Takahashi / Collection 1970s and Silence of Sound, Sound of Silence, among others.
www.suigyu.com/yuji/

Keiichiro Shibuya

Composer, musician and artist.  A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts, his work spans experimental electronic music, piano, opera, film scores, and sound installations. Based in Tokyo and Paris. His Vocaloid opera THE END (2012) toured globally, beginning at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Since 2018, he has focused on android opera, presenting works such as ScaryBeauty and MIRROR. In 2025, he staged Android Opera “MIRROR – Deconstruction and Rebirth” at Suntory Hall, with a re-performance scheduled for May 16, 2026, at Festival Hall in Osaka. His works have been presented internationally at venues including Palais Garnier, Théâtre du Châtelet, Expo Dubai, New National Theatre Tokyo, and Suntory Hall. His work explores the boundaries between humans and technology, life and death.
https://atak.jp/

Naruyoshi Kikuchi

Born in 1963. Musician, writer, and university lecturer. As a musician, he is a saxophonist, singer, keyboardist, rapper, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, and producer. As a writer, he is an essayist and critic, and has composed extensively for film and television. Leads projects including Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Pepe Tormento Azucarar, Radical Will Styles, and the Naruyoshi Kikuchi Quintet. In 2021, he founded the guild “New Music Production Workshop,” producing soundtracks for works such as Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. In August 2025, released the album Food for Future Children.

Mayuko Ishigami

Recipient of numerous awards in Japan and internationally, including the Japan Music Competition. She has performed with orchestras worldwide and frequently appears in media such as Untitled Concert and NHK classical programs. Member of Ensemble Kujoyama and advisor to the Polaris International Music Festival. Founder of Ensemble Amoibe and a Music Dialogue artist. Awarded multiple honors including the Kyoto City New Artist Award and Aoyama Music Award. Recordings released on Nippon Columbia, ALTUS, Waon Records, and King Records.
www.mayukoishigami.com

Mariko Asabuki

Made her debut in 2009 with Ryuseki. Won the 20th Bunkamura Deux Magots Literary Prize in 2010, and the 144th Akutagawa Prize in 2011 for Kiko to Wa. In 2023, presented a full reading of Ryuseki at AMBIENT KYOTO 2023. A novel (Yume) and essay collection (Signal Flag K) are scheduled for publication in summer 2026.