Rei Munakata

Rei Munakata, Conductor

Rei Munakata has conducted ensembles and orchestras such as Oslo Sinfonietta, Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, Ensemble Gageego Göteborg, Scenatet Ensemble Århus, Sundsvall Chamber Orchestra, Hradec Kralove Philharmonics, Adygeya Republic National Symphony Orchestra, Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra, Orkestern Filialen, Sandviken Symphony Orchestra. Rei has participated in Nordic Music Days Festival, Ung Nordiska Musik Festival, Stockholm New Music Festival, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Siren Festival Göteborg, and SPOR Festival Århus. In July 2003, Rei was granted the Bob Harding Bursary to work with Havant Symphony Orchestra during 2003-2004 season.

Rei is currently the principal conductor of the Curious Chamber Players, a Stockholm based group specializing in contemporary music, and has made many world premiere performances in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Germany. At home in recording studios, Rei participated in world-premiere recording of Swedish composer Axel Englund’s Miserere, a chamber ensemble work based on a poem by Christine Falkenland, in 2004. He has worked with Sweden’s most famous pop-singer, Carola Häggqvist, and her production group for her CD ”Show”-recording in 2001.

Rei Munakata was born in Yokohama, Japan, and was raised in both Japan and China as his home countries. In recent years, his home has been USA and Sweden. He started his conducting study with Michael Adelson at Connecticut College, USA, and continued with Per Andersberg, Jorma Panula, and Cecilia Rydinger-Alin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. He received full-fee scholarship award from Trinity College of Music in London to attend Peter Stark’s Postgraduate Diploma Conducting Course in 2002, and was granted the Ricordi Prize in Conducting in June 2003. His other influential teachers have been Mark Wigglesworth, Christian Eggen, and Frantisek Vajnar. Rei has received scholarships and grants from institutions such as Sven och Dagmar Saléns Stiftelse (2006) and Prins Carl Gustavs Stiftelse (2003).

Rei Munakata, Composer

Rei Munakata has written music for chamber groups, ensembles of various sizes, orchestral music, instrumental sound installations, electronics, and conceptual music. Rei's music have been performed by Curious Chamber Players (Stockholm), Gageego! Ensemble (Göteborg), Musica Vitae String Orchestra (Växjö), Havant Symphony Orchestra (Portsmouth), and Connecticut Chamber Players in Siren New Music Festival in Göteborg, Euphonia festival in Östersund, Alias New Music Festival in Stockholm, Stockholm Konserthuset, Göteborg Konserthuset, and Plex Musikteater Copenhagen.

The Mocking Maze (2004) has been selected to represent Sweden for Ung Nordisk Musik Festival 2005 in Helsinki. Shiomidai Dream (2005) was included in Curious Chamber Players' CCP Nordic Tour 2007 program and performed in Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Göteborg, and Malmö . Sjömansblock (2007), is included in Bakom Bortom Ensemble Tour program, and will be performed in seven Swedish cities.

Rei Munakata was born in Yokohama, Japan, and was raised in both Japan and China as his home countries. In recent years, his home has been USA and Sweden. Rei started his composition study with Noel Zahler at Connecticut College, USA. Then he continued with Ole Lüztow Holm at Musikhögskolan vid Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden.

elected Work List

"Konrinzai" for harp solo

"Piazza San Carlo" for fl, ob, kl, fg, hrn, trp, trb, perc, 2vln, vla, vlc, and cb

"Sjömansblock" for reciter, voice, flute, sound objects, and electronics

"Red Lantern Behind the Sea" for string orchestra

"Ukagami" for 2 violins

"Night Brewing Windmill" for fl, kl, trb, 2perc, pn, vla, vlc, and kb

"Words Behind Words" for soprano and guitar

"Shiomidai Dream" for 1 wood wind, 2 strings, 1 piano, and 2 aux players (stones, water, wine glasses, and tape player with pre-recorded cassette tape)

"Auroral Sculpture of the Evening" for piano with 3 pedals

"Whispers of Heavenly Death" for Violin and Harp

"Mountain Song" for electronics (tape)

"The Mocking Maze" for piano trio

"Harpsichord's Point of View" for Harpsichord solo

External links

* [http://www.reimunakata.com Rei Munakata Home Page]
* [http://www.curiouschamberplayers.com Curious Chamber Players Home Page]