Akira Miyagawa
Biography
Akira Miyagawa (b. 18 February 1961) is a Japanese composer, pianist and conductor
Miyagawa began to make music for Shiki Theater Company and Tokyo Disneyland while he was studying at Tokyo University of the Arts. In 2004, Matsuken Samba II, a song that Miyagawa wrote for live music shows by Ken Matsudaira, became a big hit.
Miyagawa feels equally passionately about performing and continues to collaborate with his fellow musicians and symphony orchestras. Since 1998, he has been the music director of Akira Miyagawa & the Ensemble Vega. In addition, he currently [2023] leads Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra (former Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band) as its artistic director.
From 1995 to 2010, Miyagawa led Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra as its music director and permanent conductor in popular music concerts. At these concerts, Miyagawa plays the piano, conducts an orchestra or ensemble, performs various genres of music including his own, and tells the audience stories behind the pieces of music that are performed on stage.
His compositional emphasis is on musicals and theatrical plays. Between 2003 and 2010, he produced music for Quintet, NHK’s television show for children, in which Miyagawa himself appeared and plays a role of the mysterious pianist/concertmaster for the ensemble that consists of puppets.
Works for Winds
- Black Jack (2007)
- Fun, Fun, Fantastico! (2007)
- Gebageba 90 Minutes! (as arranger) (1969/2005)
- Illustrated Magazine of Modern Music (2017)
- Je te veux (as arranger) (1900/1994)
- Matsuken Samba II (2004)
- My Favorite Things
- Nariwai (2010)
- Our "Nice" Invention (2020)
- Shall We Dance? (as arranger) (1951/1997)
- Suite "Space Battleship Yamato" (as arranger) (1977/2002)
- Symphonic Mambo No 5 (2016)
- YARAMAIKA March (2007)