Rie Akagi

RIE AKAGI By making the full use of her excellently trained classic background, Rie Akagi is the only female flutist in Japan who can perform salsa/latin jazz and soul jazz with a startling agressiveness. Known to be the leading Caribbean Flutist, she has gained great reputation from not only the Caribbean Seas but from around the world as one of the promising contemporary performers, ripe and blooming.
The Big Guys of the salsa world such as Tito Puente, Larry Hallow, Willie Colon or Michel Camilo, Dave Valentin from the jazz scene have all recognized the energetic performance and great technic of Rie Akagi. She has performed at famous jazz festivals such as the Concord Jazz Festival in San Fransisco, Jazz Plaza in Cuba, Noche Y Galeria in Puerto Rico and received a full standing ovation from the excited audience everywhere she went. She is known for her Magic Flute around the Caribbean Seas, and there is no doubt that she is one of the best performing female flutists with brilliant technic and agressiveness recognized from the world.
One opportunity which made her name known outside Japan was the six monthes stay in Puerto Rico as a Culture Exchange member dispatched from the Japanese Goverment. Even though the stay was short she actively performed in various occasions such as the Japan/Puerto Rico Friendship Concert held at the National Museum of Arts (co-sponsored by the Japanese Consulate in New York) or performing together with Luis Perico Ortiz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Cacheto Mardonado and Batacumbele,Pedro Guzman and many other top artists concerts or recordings, thus making her name and talent well known throughout the Caribbean Seas.
In 1985 she made her fisrt album debut. She has recorded up to now 13 albums, including the Caribbean Flutes (Flauta Caribena), her next coming album scheduled to be on sale this May 2007 from JVC, which she plays with Grammy Awards winner Michel Camilo. Among the albums, Isla Verde The Promised Land (Isla del Encanto) and Moon Island (Perla del Caribe).
which were recorded and also sold in Puerto Rico, grabbed the hearts of the Caribbeans. Especially Isla Verde which Rie Akagi herself went to Puerto Rico for promotion was welcomed enthusiastically by the people and the media. Furthermore, in 2003 she made her first The U.S ~The Caribbean Seas tour with great success. Since then she has been performing periodically in and around Puerto Rico.
In 2005, she was invited to Inter American University of Puerto Rico as a Professora Invitada to give a lecture on Japanese Culture. She has also been invited as Professor for the Concervatorio of Music of Puerto Rico , founded by the late Pablo Cazals. Considering all the important duties she has worked upon with great effort, the UNESCO office in Puerto Rico awarded her for contributing deeply to cultural exchange among different regions. Her vital role between Japan and Puerto Rico has been highly evaluated and appreciated.
Her approach towards music is borderless. Take a look at her works in Japan.
Rie Akagi has formed a latin/soul jazz unit in 2006, and has also been experimenting with different units adding musical essence from India and Spanish flamenco. Not to mention performances in contemporary music and classical music, she shows her talents by writing and arranging songs .
She has written CD included flute score books such as Flute Pieces by Rie Akagi (Ongaku-no-tomo-sha) , Lets Play the Flute(Ongaku-no-tomo-sha), and Easy Ways to Play the Flute (Seibido).
Graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music, Wind and Percussion Instruments Course (Flute major).

Leonardo Bravo

Leonardo Bravo is a Graduate in Music and Guitar from the Music department of the National University in Rosario, Argentina. He has developed an extensive career as a soloist, giving concerts and classes in the Americas, Europe and Asia. His repertoire extends from classical music to Tango and Argentine folkloric music. Leonardo Bravo received his degree from the School of Music of Rosario National University where he studied with Professor Ines P. de Zemp. He also attended several international courses as “Santiago de Compostela” or “Porto Alegre” Brazil, studying with many maestros including: Marlos Nobre, Paulo Bellinatti (Brazil), Victor Villadangos, Eduardo Isaac (Argentina), Jose Luis Rodrigo (Spain), Abel Carlevaro (Uruguay), etc. He won first prizes in many prestigious classical guitar competitions.

Leonardo has being involved in many different chamber music ensembles, including Classical, contemporary, ancient music. He also plays with groups specialized in traditional argentine music Folklore and Tango.

Leonardo's concerts always include music from his homeland, and this repertoire is becoming increasingly important to him. He is continually searching for new Argentine music and working in his own compositions and arrangements.

In 1991 to 2003 he was appointed Professor of Guitar at Rosario National University, Where he is acknowledged for the quality of his teaching, being many of his students are well known in the national and international scene.

In 2003 he moved to Japan, continuing his work and as a teacher and as a performer sharing activities with many well known japanese musician as Shin Ichi Fukuda, Komatsu Ryota, Ohagi Yasuji, etc and also the prestigious National Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan. He also perform concerts in japan with Berta Rojas and William Kanengiser,etc In 2006 made different recitals in South Korea, which were broadcasted throughout the country.
He attend as a professor and performer to Internationals guitar festivals as “Guitarras del Mundo” Argentina, “International Guitar Festilval of Taiwan” Taiwan, “International Guitar Festilval” Corea, “International Asian Guitar Festilval” japan, “Iternational East end guitar festival” Japan, “International Jazz festival of Nanjing” China,etc with Maestros liker Eduardo fernandez, Shin Ichi Fukuda, Judicael Pierrof, Quique Sinesi, Juan Falu, etc.

In February of 2008 “Forest Hill Edition” published his composition “5 Little pieces” (Trees, Men and the river) This piece was chosen as a mandatory piece in the “International Kyushu Guitar Contest” Japan. Also was chosen as part of the mandatory repertoire of the Marshal University USA, and in 2015 was chosen by Trinity College of London to be part of their mandatory Exam books.

Also this year after a concerts and Masterclass series in U.S.A he was awarded with the “Joan C. Edward's Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts” by the Marshall University College of Fine Arts. EEUU.

From 2009 works for “Gendai Guitar” as a Professor of its “Gendai Guitar. Music Academy”,Tokyo.

Also in 2013 he was comitionated by a Corean Publisher company to composed 8 pieces to be part of the Project “Sound Gym” dedicated to Moms and baby, which contains a Mom `s book and 32 picture book for kids.

In 2013 Gendai Guitar Company edited a new book called “Tangos Materpieces by Leonardo Bravo” and the CD with all the contents of the book. 17 arrangements for solo guitar and guitar duo. And In 2019 edited a new book “Cielo abierto, 8 pieces for solo guitar”dedicated to the music of the composer Quique Sinesi, published by gendai Guitar.

Nowadays besides teaching and perform he also make recordings and write articles specialized in Classical and Latin American Music for the “Gendai Guitar Magazine”