SINSKE (Japanese Artist Name)
Shinsuke Ishihara(SINSKE) began playing the piano at the age of 3, percussion instruments at 13, and marimba at 20.
He graduated at the top of the Percussion Department at the Tokyo College of Music and received a special scholarship from the Belgian government for further studies abroad. He graduated at the top of the Percussion Departments at both the Royal Conservatories in Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium, and successfully completed the Solo Specialization Course at the Paris Conservatory in France.
After graduating, he freelanced as a classical percussionist and marimba player in Europe for six years. He collaborated as a soloist with orchestras such as the Belgian Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and achieved outstanding results in numerous international competitions.
He won the top prize at the "Tenuto 2000 Music Competition" in Belgium, received the Belgian Copyright Association Award, and secured third place at the "Tromp 2000 International Music Competition" in the Netherlands. He also earned second place at the "3rd World Marimba Competition" in Germany, among other awards.
In 2003, he concluded his activities in Europe and returned to Japan. He developed the world's first MIDI marimba, "EMP," in collaboration with Yamaha, gaining attention and making his major debut with the album "INFINITY." To date, he has released five albums from Sony Music Japan International, eight albums from his own label, and one album from King Records.
In addition to solo activities, he actively engages in duo performances with shakuhachi player "Fujihara Doyama" and female marimba player "Nanae Mimura." The duo "Fujihara Doyama × SINSKE" celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021, holding 13 performances in 11 cities nationwide with the commemorative CD "Jūnen Jūshoku."
He has contributed to the music and performance of the Japan Dance Association's new production "Sokukokki" (2013, National Theatre) in his 10th debut year. He has performed in 12 countries in the Western world, participated in an African expedition and recording with percussionists from Cuba and Belgium, and toured in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg with "Fujihara Doyama × SINSKE" in 2016. He actively performs abroad, including concerts in Malaysia in 2018, Italy in 2019, and Mexico in 2022.
He is involved in mentoring the next generation, conducting marimba workshops for beginners, and serving as a guest performer and masterclass instructor at the "Zeltsman Marimba Festival" in the United States and Chicago.
In August 2018, he celebrated his 15th CD debut anniversary and released a commemorative album, followed by a concert tour in venues such as Hamarikyu Asahi Hall and Fukuoka Symphony Hall.
He has been featured on various media outlets, including TV Asahi's programs "Untitled Concert" and "Kanjani Eight's EIGHTer-ism Show," E-tele's "Mujica Piccolino," and newspapers, radio, and magazines. He has also appeared in SONY's smartphone/tablet series "Xperia FILE" since April 2016 and web commercials since November 2016. From April 2017 to March 2018, he served as the first personality on the internet radio show "OTTAVA."
He participated in the JR Tokai TV commercial "Let's Go to Kyoto, So" in May 2019, and the collaboration song "SUNNY SIDE" with ukulele player "Toshiki Kondo" was chosen as the summer theme song for MBS's "Weather Club Theme Song" in July of the same year.
In February 2020, he launched the percussion ensemble "On My Beat" with Kei Hattori, focusing on playing danceable music from Japan and around the world. The ensemble achieved great success with performances at Yamaha Hall in 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, he will celebrate his 20th CD debut anniversary with a commemorative concert at Kioi Hall in the fall and plans to release a new CD.
SINSKE has studied marimba with Keiko Abe, Toshihiro Akamatsu, Eric Sammut, Bart Quartier, and Emmanuel Segourne.
