Biography

Born in Tokyo on April 30, 1964. After graduating from Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara High School, he entered the Department of Composition, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts in 1984. He completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts in 1992. He studied composition under Motohiko Adachi, Yasuo Sueyoshi, Michio Mamiya, and Kenjiro Urata, and piano under Emiko Endo and Teruharu Karashima. From his student days, he actively engaged in both composition and piano performance, with his theatrical performances, particularly with Opera Theater Konnyakuza, receiving high acclaim.

Career Highlights

• 1986: Awarded the Gold Prize for piano performance at the 1st Settsu City Music Festival L.C. Competition.
• 1989: Served as music director for the opening performance of "The Tales of Hoffmann" at Tokyu Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon.
• 1993-1995: Planned and organized the concert series "Classics of the 20th Century" (6 times) at Green Hall Sagamihara.
• 1995: Composed "Concerto for Shakuhachi, Twenty-String Koto, and Orchestra" commissioned by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, and "String Quartet No. 3" commissioned by the Hibiki Hall Festival in Kitakyushu. The Hibiki Hall Festival continued to commission him the following year, leading to the composition of "Scenes from a Foreign Land" for oboe, shamisen, and percussion, which was premiered by Maurice Bourgue, Kokuni Kineya, and Sumire Yoshihara.
• 1997: Organized and performed in the Satie continuous concert series "The Disguise of Tradition" (6 parts), held to commemorate the "Pompidou Collection Exhibition" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
• April 1998: Composed "Continent, Peninsula, Island" for the restored instruments of Shosoin (kugo, se, Silla-geum), commissioned by the National Theatre.
• September 1998: Composed "Psalm 49" commissioned by the Magdalen College Choir, University of Oxford, which was premiered in Tokyo and Oxford.
• December 1998: Arranged Prokofiev's "Classical Symphony" for two pianos, commissioned by Martha Argerich and Kyoko Ito. This arrangement was recorded immediately after its premiere in Kitakyushu and has been repeatedly performed across Europe, including at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, by Argerich and Nelson Freire, among others.
• 1999-: Served as music director for the "Bihoro International Arts Festival for Children" in Bihoro Town, Hokkaido.
• January 2003: Held "Encounter of East and West ~ Rikuya Terashima Works Exhibition" at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris.
• July 2006: Invited to the Tanglewood Music Festival, where he performed chamber music, including his own compositions, with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Selected Works

His other works include the operas "The Life of Galileo" and "Suetsumuhana," the vaudeville "On the Harmfulness of Tobacco," works for mixed chorus such as "In the Shade of the Orange Tree" (poetry by G. Lorca), "Song of the Transparent Wind" (poetry by Kenji Miyazawa), and "Michi" (poetry by Shuntaro Tanikawa), the choral fantasia "Ohhoh Island Fantasia," "Sonata for Solo Viola," "12 Preludes" for piano, and "The Shell Fire" for narration, koto, and chamber orchestra. He has also composed many works for traditional Japanese instruments. His works have been performed not only in Japan but also in Italy, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, among other countries.

Other Activities and Discography

In addition to composing, he performs as a pianist in solo recitals and collaborates with numerous renowned musicians both in Japan and abroad. His activities are diverse, including conducting and concert planning. His discography includes:

• "Continent, Peninsula, Island / Rikuya Terashima Works" (ALCD-9026)
• "Love Songs from February to November (Fumiaki Kuriyama's Art 2 / Rikuya Terashima Works)" (VICS-61092)
• Many other CDs featuring chamber music and piano for songs.