Satoh, Toyohiko

Satoh, Toyohiko, Japanese lutenist, teacher, and composer; b. Fukuyama, Nov. 4, 1943. He received training in guitar from Kazuhito Osawa (1963–66) and in composition from Taijiro Goh (1963–68) in Tokyo, where he also was a student at the Rikkyo Univ. of Tatsuo Minagawa (1963–67). In 1966 he made his recital debut as a guitarist in Tokyo. In 1968 he entered the Schola Cantorium Basiliensis in Basel, where he studied with Eugen Dombois until 1972. He made his recital debut as a lutenist in Tokyo in 1970, and then his European debut in a lute recital in Basel in 1972. In 1973 he played in Amsterdam and became prof. of lute at the Royal Cons. of Music at The Hague. In subsequent years, he also gave master classes in Europe, North America, and Japan. In 1978 he made his debut as a soloist with orch. when he played the Vivaldi Lute Concerto with the Amsterdam Baroque Orch. conducted by Ton Koopman. On Oct. 14, 1982, he made his formal N.Y. recital debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. Thereafter, his engagements took him all over the world as a master of the Baroque lute repertoire. Among the many composers he has championed are J.S. Bach, Sylvius Leopold Weiss, Robert de Visée, John Dowland, Charles Mouton, Pierre Gautier, and Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger. With his own Alba Musica Kyo ensemble, he has not only programmed works of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras, but contemporary ones as well, including several of his own.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire