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Atsuhiko Gondai

ごんだい あつひこ

Gondai Atsuhiko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1965-09-06 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Catholicism

Career

Occupations
Composer
Active Years
1985-
Affiliations
Tokyo Concerts
Influenced By
Yasuo Sueyoshi, Klaus Huber, Philippe Manoury, Salvatore Sciarrino

Education

Toho Gakuen School of Music
Composition Department / Composition
Country: Japan
Graduated from the composition department; completed graduate studies
Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Contemporary Music Institute (studies abroad)
Country: Germany
Studied as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholar
IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music)
Computer Music Research
Country: France
Research and practical work in computer music at IRCAM as a cultural agency trainee

Awards

Agency for Cultural Affairs Stage Arts Creation Encouragement Special Prize
1985
Work: Mass (Missa)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Japan Music Competition (Composition)
1986
Organization: Japan Music Competition
Result: 入選
56th Japan Music Competition, Composition — 1st Prize
1987
Organization: Japan Music Competition
Result: 第1位
Nagoya Cultural Promotion Award — Honorable Mention
1989
Organization: Nagoya Cultural Promotion Award
Result: 佳作
Nagoya Cultural Promotion Award — Selected
1990
Organization: Nagoya Cultural Promotion Award
Result: 入選
Valentino Bucchi International Composition Competition — 1st Prize
1991
Organization: Valentino Bucchi International Composition Competition
Result: 第1位
Kazimierz Serocki International Composition Competition — Mec Publishing Special Prize (equivalent to 2nd prize)
1992
Organization: Kazimierz Serocki International Composition Competition
Result: メック出版社特別賞（第2位相当）
Akutagawa Composition Prize
1996
Organization: Akutagawa Composition Prize
Result: 受賞
Idemitsu Music Award
1996
Organization: Idemitsu Music Award
Result: 受賞
Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize
1999
Organization: Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize
Result: 受賞
Arts Festival Award — New Artist by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
2002
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Otaka Prize (64th)
2016
Work: Vice Versa — The Reverse Is Also True
Organization: Otaka Prize
Result: 受賞
Otaka Prize (72nd)
2025
Organization: Otaka Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Utopia — Nowhere Place

2014 Orchestral

An orchestral work commissioned by the NHK Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 2014. A large-scale piece employing orchestra and contemporary sound techniques.

utopiaspace and timeending

Vice Versa — The Reverse Is Also True

2015 Orchestral

Commissioned by Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa and premiered in 2015. Recipient of the 64th Otaka Prize in 2016.

inversionsymmetrysonority

Japeta — Funeral Music I

Orchestral

One of his funeral-music themed orchestral pieces, exploring religious ritual and silence.

funeralsilencereligiosity

Agnus Dei / Anus Mundi I & II

Vocal / Choral

Vocal works involving mixed chorus; part of a large vocal repertoire dealing with prayer and religious motifs.

prayerreligionreconciliation

Bibliography

  • Utopia — Nowhere Place
  • Vice Versa — The Reverse Is Also True
  • Japeta — Funeral Music I
  • Maranatha
  • Seven Chorale Variations Toward Silence
  • Lullaby (mezzo-soprano, piano, children's chorus, orchestra)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
contemporary musicreligious and ritual elementscomputer music / electronic sound useminimalist tendencies and dense harmony
Recurring Motifs
prayersilencedeath and funerallight and darknessinversion and symmetry

Legacy

A contemporary composer known for awards in international competitions and commissions from major orchestras. Noted for religious motifs and use of silence; recipient of major domestic prizes (such as the Otaka Prize) and continues to receive regular commissions.

Academic Societies

  • Toho Gakuen School of Music (affiliated / alumnus)

Archives

  • Schott Music archives
  • Tokyo Concerts artist page

Trivia

  • At age 20 (1985) he received the Agency for Cultural Affairs Stage Arts Creation Encouragement Special Prize (reported as the youngest recipient).
  • Studied in Germany as a DAAD scholar and researched computer music at IRCAM.