Kaito Nakahori

Katsunari Nakahori (中堀 克成, born September 14, 1989) known by his stage name Kaito Nakahori (中堀 海都 Nakahori Kaito) is a Chinese Japanese composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City, United States.

Biography
Nakahori was born in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Toho College of Music (2012) and a Master of Music degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2014). After Tōru Takemitsu's music inspired him at the age of 14, he started teaching composition and piano himself. Through the influence of Takemitsu's music, Nakahori's compositional style have included Japanese traditional music elements such as Gagaku.

After graduating, he moved to New York, where he had his first portrait concert at the United Nations in 2015. He was introduced by the newspaper Chin po in Shenzhen, China, as a "Half Chinese, half Japanese, gifted composer”.

The Japan Cultural Institute in Rome, Italy, invited him to talk about Japanese contemporary music at a symposium, when his piece Hidden instincts for piano solo was performed by Aki Takahashi in 2013. Invited by Tongyeong International Music Festival, Hotarubi for hichiriki and string quartet commissioned by Goethe-Institut was premiered in 2017. By the recommendation of Toshio Hosokawa, at the 150th anniversary concert of Japan and Hungary diplomatic relations in 2019, he conducted his chamber piece Two Different Paintings commissioned by Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Invited by Festival de Royaumont in France, Countless Wells for soprano, cello and electronics (32 speakers+IRCAM Spat) commissioned by Fondation Royaumont was premiered in 2021.

In 2020, Nakahori’s first opera Zero, text by Oriza Hirata, was premiered at Toyooka Theater Festival.

Awards

 * Impronta Ensemble Composition Competition – 1st prize (2019)
 * Brian M. Israel Prize (Society for New Music/NY Federation of Music Clubs Award) (2016)

Stage works

 * Zero (2020) opera in one act, text by Oriza Hirata

Orchestra works

 * Self Portrait (2017) for orchestra
 * Leading to the Paradise (2010) for orchestra

Chamber works

 * Two Different Paintings (2018) for chamber ensemble
 * Sand Ripples (2019) for chamber ensemble
 * Hotarubi (2017) for hichiriki and string quartet
 * Japanese Footbridge (2014) for koto and chamber ensemble
 * Setsurei (2014) for sho, cello and percussion
 * Yaeyama Hirugi (2014) for clarinet and string quartet
 * Summit of Mt. Fuji (2014) for chamber ensemble

Solo works

 * Meigetsu (2017) for shakuhachi
 * Hidden instincts (2012) for piano

Film music

 * After Spring, the Tamaki Family... (2016) Director: Huang Yin-Yu (2016) Taipei Film Awards, Nomination.