About

Together with saxophonist Kuninobu Bando, the Tokyo-based chamber ensemble has received numerous accolades for their international performances since their formation in 2009, as well as critical acclaim across Japan and America. Inspired by their own intercultural experiences, the duo has dedicated their efforts to creating international collaborations. In addition to exposing audiences to music from their native countries, they are avid supporters of contemporary music. Through partnerships with artists and organizations that share their vision, they are able to nurture continued growth between the musical communities of Japan and America. The Bando/Wintringham Duo presents programs featuring the results of these collaborations, as well as highlighting the quintessential repertoire of their respective countries. The ensemble also commissions and premieres numerous works in order to expand upon the existing body of repertoire for this unique instrumentation. Recent collaborators include Mark Scatterday and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Astral Artists, the Kunitachi College of Music, the S&R Foundation, the Japan Foundation, pianist Dizhou Zhao, and composers Jonathan Russell, Ted Goldman, Marc Mellits, Izumi Matsumoto, Ken Thomson, and Yukiko Yoshino.

Kuninobu BANDO

Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Kuninobu Bando is highly sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He is an Honored Graduate of the Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, and he successfully completed the Diploma Course at Tokyo Music and Media Arts Shobi. He regularly performs in orchestras such as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, and the Gunma Symphony Orchestra, and was featured in the Tokyo Brass Band and Florence May Music Festival, as well as numerous professional ballet, musical, and opera companies. A widely respected studio musician, his playing can be experienced through several commercial CDs and DVDs, and his teachings continue to be disseminated through the publication of more than five of his instructional volumes. He has presented recitals throughout Tokyo, Sapporo, Akita, Shizuoka, Fukuoka and Miyazaki, and his international collaborations continue to present performance and educational opportunities outside of Japan. He passionately maintains relationships with several composers and has premiered many new works both domestically and abroad.

In 2011, Bando received a standing ovation for his first recital in the USA, a guest-artist performance at the University of Arizona. Returning in 2014, he became the first Japanese saxophonist to hold a master class at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), where he was also featured in a guest-artist recital. Following the success of his first visit, he returned to Eastman in 2016 to perform as a soloist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble (EWE). Together with generous support from the Japan Foundation, the Bando/Wintringham Duo presented the world premiere of Fantasy on Five, a double-concerto for the duo and EWE composed by Jon Russell. The same year, Bando joined conductor Keitaro Harada and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra.

In 2017, he was invited by the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, China to be featured as a guest artist in a recital and master class, and in 2018, Bando performed at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia. He regularly transcends genre boundaries in collaborations with a great variety of artists and companies, including the Kumagawa Tetsuya K. Ballet Company, H. Earl Chaos, and the rock band Crystal King. He received a special award while competing at the first Gustave Bumke International Saxophone Competition in Dortmund, Germany, and has appeared numerous times as a soloist with the Kunitachi College of Music Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Bando currently holds professorships at the Kunitachi College of Music, Sapporo Otani University, and the Tokyo School of Music. He is active as a clinician throughout Japan, and is involved in a wide range of activities including television and radio appearances, judging competitions, and writing saxophone pedagogical materials. He is a member of the acclaimed chamber ensembles the Bando/Wintringham Duo, and Ensemble Yu. Not only an acclaimed performer and teacher, he also serves on the Japan Saxophone Association’s Steering Committee. Mr. Bando received the highest training in Japan under the tutelage of Yuji Ishiwata, Keiji Shimoji, Yoshiyuki Hattori, and Akinori Naraoka. He has also performed in masterclass settings for Claude Delangle and Fabrice Moretti.

Bando is a Selmer Japan Artist, and he performs on Selmer (Paris) saxophones exclusively.

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