Praised for his lyrical voice and ebullient virtuosity, Kazutaka Shimizu is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential flutists in Japan today. Currently, he is associate professor at Tokyo Gakugei University.

 

Mr. Shimizu has studied at Tokyo University of the Arts under Junzo Hosokawa and Chang-Kook Kim, and with world-renowned flutist Maxence Larrieu at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève (Geneva Music University) where he received the Première de Prix upon graduation. In addition, he has participated and studied at Masterclasses in Europe with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Alan Marion, Michel Debost, Sir James Galway, Bruno Grossi and Shigenori Kudo. He won prizes at the Japan Woodwind Competition and several other competitions in Japan, France and Italy. After returning to Japan, he has frequently been invited to music festivals and institutions abroad, such as Aosta Conservatory(Italy), Alba Music Festival(Italy), International Music Festival Falaut (Italy), Falaut Campus(Italy), Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Honolulu Radio(USA), St. Mary’s College(USA), Ball State University(USA).Mahidol University(Thailand),Forum flute and Piano(Luxembourg), for holding masterclasses, recitals and lectures. Notably, he received 3 times standing ovation from the audience at the International Flute Festival in Milan (1997). In September 2012 he was invited as a jury member of the 1st Severino Gazzelloni International Flute Competition.