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Mulberry Choir | マルベリー・クワイア

マルベリー・クワイア

1985年、小田原少年少女合唱隊の高校生と卒業生により結成後2ヶ月で宝塚国際室内合唱コンテスト総合1位、1986年ハンガリーのコダーイ国際合唱コンクール・ユース合唱部門1位、1995年イタリア・アレッツォ国際合唱コンクールの民族音楽部門1位、全日本合唱コンクール全国大会・一般の部総合1位など多数受賞しています。元々はコール・マルベリーという名前でしたが、現在はマルベリー・クワイアとして活動しています。合唱団の名前は指揮者の苗字「桑」から取りました。現在のメンバーは大学生以上の11名で全員が声楽を音大または個人レッスンで学んでいます。小田原少年少女合唱隊と同じ組織で活動し、メンバー全員がマルベリー・チェンバークワイア(混声)にも所属しています。

Mulberry Choir

Mulberry Choir was formed by high school members and ex-members of Odawara Children's Choir in 1985. 2 months after its foundation, we were awarded the Grand-Prix at the Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest. In 1986, we won 1st place in the Youth Choir Category at the Kodály Zoltán “Singing Youth” International Choral Competition in Hungary, and 1st place in the Choral Folk Music Category at the Arezzo International Choral Competition in 1995. We were also awarded the Grand-Prix in the Final Round at the Japan Choral Association Competition. Our choir was originally named the "Chor Mulberry" based on the family name of our conductor "Ms.Kuwabara" which means "Mulberry". Currently there are 11 singers over 18 years old and all of them have studied Vocal Music either at music academies or in private lessons. We belong to the same organization as the Odawara Children's Choir and also we are all members of the Mulberry Chamber Choir (mixed choir).

代表・指揮者/桑原妙子

フェリス女学院大学音楽学部声楽科卒。発声を木下武久氏に、声楽を佐々木成子氏に師事。小田原少年少女合唱隊を創立時から53年間指揮する他、マルベリー・クワイア、マルベリー・チェンバークワイア、マルベリー・メールクワイア、しほみコール、アンサンブルMora等を指揮。フェリス女学院大学音楽学部講師を経て、朝日カルチャーセンター講師、神奈川県合唱連盟顧問、NHK音楽コンクール審査員。インドネシアのバンドゥンITB国際合唱コンクール、宝塚国際室内合唱コンテスト審査員。2006年、チェコ・プラハ国際合唱コンクール最優秀指揮者賞を受賞。

Founder/Conductor:Taeko Kuwabara

Taeko Kuwabara is a well known choral conductor, singing teacher and adjudicator in Japan. After graduating in Vocal Music from the Ferris University, she founded the Odawara Children’s Choir which she has been conducting for 53 years. With this choir, she has won many international awards including 1st Prize, Special Award for Outstanding Voice Cultivation and Best Conductor Performance in the Young2006Prague in the Czech Republic, and 1st Prize in the Youth Equal Voices Choir Category at the Riva del Garda International Choir Competition, Italy. Nationally her choir was the first children's choir to win a Gold Medal at the JCA (Japan Choral Association) Competition. She has also won many international awards, including 1st Prizes at Arezzo in Italy, Budapest in Hungary and Takarazuka in Japan, conducting the Mulberry Choir (female choir), and also many national awards with the Mulberry Chamber Choir, both of which consist of former members of her children’s choir. She has also taught Choral Music at the Ferris University and serves regularly as a jury member of choral competitions in Japan. She is renowned for her voice cultivation skills. She has served as a jury member for international choir competitions including ITB International Choral Competition in Indonesia and Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest in Japan.

音楽監督/桑原春子

国際基督教大学(ICU)教養学部人文科学科卒業。音楽学を金澤正剛氏に師事。ハンガリー政府国費留学生としてリスト音楽院でピアノと音楽学(合唱曲)を専攻。その後、ロンドンのギルドホール音楽学校でピアノ、チェンバロ、伴奏法、作曲を学び、1993年ピアノ伴奏科修了。 ピアノをコルネール・ゼンプレーニ、ピーター・フォイヒトヴァンガー各氏に師事。ピアニスト・チェンバリストとしてスウェーデンで活動後、拠点をイギリスに戻し在英24年。また、合唱のワークショップや国際合唱コンクール審査も務める。日本には毎月帰国し、小田原少年少女合唱隊、マルベリー・クワイア、マルベリー・チェンバークワイアの音楽監督を務める。インドネシアのバンドゥンITB国際合唱コンクールおよびFPS合唱コンクール、宝塚国際室内合唱コンテスト審査員。インドネシア「聖アンジェラ児童・ユース合唱フェスティバル」芸術監督・審査員。チェコのユース・児童合唱祭「Porta Musicae 2014」講師・客演指揮者。イギリス合唱指揮者協会(ABCD)、国際合唱連盟(IFCM)、アメリカ合唱指揮者協会(ACDA)各会員。全日本合唱連盟(JCA)国際委員会委員。1972~1982年小田原少年少女合唱隊に、1985~1989年マルベリー・クワイアに在籍。

 

Music Director: Haruko Kuwabara

Haruko Kuwabara was originally trained as a concert pianist. She started to sing in Odawara Children’s Choir at the age of 7. She studied musicology with the world renowned scholar Dr. Masakata Kanazawa at the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, specializing in Renaissance music 1983-1988 (BA). Having been awarded a Hungarian Government Scholarship, she studied Piano and Choral Music at the Liszt Music Academy in Budapest 1989-1991, then Piano, Cembalo and Composition as well as completing a Post-Graduate Piano Accompaniment Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London 1991-1993. Her piano teachers include Mr.Kornél Zempléni and Mr.Peter Feuchtwanger. After having worked as a concert pianist and cembalist in Sweden 1993-1995, she came back to the UK where she lives permanently. While continuing her career as a concert pianist, she goes back to Japan every month to serve as the Music Director of the Odawara Children’s Choir, the Mulberry Choir (female) and the Mulberry Chamber Choir (mixed), which have won many international and national prizes including 1st place in Takarazuka (Grand-Prix) in 1985, Budapest (Youth Choirs Category) in 1986, Arezzo (Folksong Category) in 1995, Prague (Children’s Choirs Category) in 2006 and Riva del Garda (Youth Equal Voices Category) in 2012. Her wide ranging programming for these choirs is highly acclaimed in Japan. She is a member of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD), the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) .  She has served as a jury member for international choir competitions including ITB International Choral Competition in Indonesia and Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest in Japan. She is the Artistic Director and adjudicator of the "Saint Angela Children and Youth Choir Festival" in Bandung, Indonesia, and also a Board Member of the JCA (Japan Choral Association) International Relations Committee.

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