Ogga Loggas (2026)
Created with pathfinding opera company Tête à Tête, my opera Ogga Loggas grew from the tales and games my librettist, Jacques’ father, shared with him and his siblings when they were young.
These vivid, mischievous cautionary stories were designed to wrap life lessons and laughter into lasting memories.
At their core sits an environmental warning: if we do not look after our world, we risk repeating the mistakes of those before us, contributing to a cycle of climate change in which everything, from land to air to sea, is affected.
Crafted from this family fantasy, the libretto joins an already living tradition of storytelling, set to music inspired by the theatrical electricity of 70s rock operas, prog-rock concept albums, a touch of glam-rock shine, and hints of Labyrinth-like fantasy, all in the hope that we might leave the world a little cleaner than we found it.
Constellate (2026)
As part of the Royal Albert Hall’s Associate Artist Conservatoire Program, Constellate began with the simple act of looking up (at a starry sky and also at the ceiling of the Royal Albert Hall).
No matter where we live or what histories we carry, the stars continue shining above us: unreachable, yet shared.
The title, Constellate, comes from the Latin “con” (together) and “stellatus” (starry or adorned with stars). It means to come together in a pattern, to be arranged like stars, a rare word that felt both celestial and communal.
Constellate aims to capture an experience we all sometimes share: a sense of humility when we tilt our heads back and feel, however briefly, part of something quite immense.
Melodic Blossoms (2024)
Composed for the Sounds of Blossom Festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Kew Gardens), held from March 23 to April 14, 2024. The footage, filmed on-site during the installation, is presented here as an audiovisual memoir of what it felt like to be among the blossoms. As a composer from Japan, I’ve always found that cherry blossoms carry a special meaning beyond their association with new beginnings and the arrival of spring. It’s their bittersweet ephemerality, hidden behind their brilliant bloom, that captivates me each year. The music predominantly features shakuhachi and piano, accompanied by fleeting, delicate resonances from harp and bells that aim to capture the Sakura’s grace and dynamic blossom.
Press: https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/sounds-of-blossom
Marblesplash (2024)
Commissioned by Orpheus Sinfonia. Inspired by the marble and splash techniques used in oil and acrylic painting, Marblesplash encapsulates the dynamism of action painting, embodying a vivid and percussive drive throughout. Drawing further inspiration from visual art, the piece creates a sonic illustration of marbles and splashes, resulting in a vibrant, colourful steeplechase. This work captures the essence of visual art in motion, translating the high-spirited intensity and festivity of the painter's canvas into a rich, dynamic, orchestral blossom.
Aquatic Fluxations |
Ebb and Flow (2024)
This piece was created in collaboration with the English National Ballet School and the Royal College of Music, culminating in two performances at London’s Wallace Collection. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance painter Titian’s Perseus and Andromeda (1554–56), its depiction of water served as a starting point for both the music and choreography. Working with dancer and choreographer Aparajita Chadhurri, we explored the fluidity and dynamism of water, weaving together field recordings I recorded from the UK, Italy, and Japan to form a sonic journey—from gentle streams to crashing waves. The solo cello, evoking the mythical sirens of Greek mythology, brings an eerie and alluring quality, its undulating lines blending with the aquatic soundscape. The choreography, enriched by the addition of a second dancer, Eibhlin Minatsis, portrays sea nymphs and sirens with graceful precision, drifting in and out of sync with the music to embody the ebb and flow of water. The resulting piece is a dialogue between music and movement, a fluid interplay inspired by myth, nature, and collaboration.
AMANARI 天鳴 (2023)
“AMANARI” is a multi-disciplinary stage production featuring music, dance, and projection-mapping technology, allowing the audience to enter the world of two 300-year-old hallmarks of the Japanese Rinpa School of Art. This 20-minute production composed by Daniel Musashi has two parts: the first features Kōrin Ogata’s “Wind God and Thunder God,” and the second, Hōitsu Sakai’s “Flowering Plants of Summer and Autumn.” These two are painted on opposite sides of the same pair of folding screens, creating a unique dichotomy that represents “freedom and divinity” and “manmade and nature,” respectively. The production follows this dichotomy of the two paintings: the first scene pairs orchestral music with improvised dance, and the second features electronic music with a choreographed dance, embodying the two paintings’ themes. The two scenes are complemented by an introduction, intermezzo, and epilogue, creating symmetry in the structure of the work. Taking place in the Britten Theatre, the audience is invited to sit back and enter the world of these paintings woven together through this multidisciplinary tapestry.
Feathering in Blue (2022)
"Feathering" is a technique used in painting where, through the use of delicate brushstrokes, two or more colours are smoothed out to create a blurred but warm gradation. Inspired by this, I chose 3 of my favourite shades of blue and sought to recreate the mystical experience of walking into an exhibit featuring the multi-faceted emotions of these hues of blue.
画竜点睛 Garyou-Tensei (2021)
“Garyou-Tensei” is a meditative sound-painting, telling the story of the eponymous Japanese proverb which means "to draw the finishing touch”. The proverb originates from an old Chinese story about a painter who drew a dragon so real that when he drew in its eye, it came alive and ascended to the heavens. I was inspired by the many emotions of the sound of the wind and portrayed them with the Shakuhachi: the perfect instrument to breathe life into the vast colors of the wind.