Norio Sato

Born in 1951, Norio Sato studied guitar with Shuzo Tajima and Yasumasa Obara. He was the winner of 1971 Tokyo International Guitar Competition. He has since been active not only as guitarist but as conductor and concert producer, and in addition to performing classical guitar repertoire, he performs and gives world premieres of numerous contemporary works by Japanese and international composers. As guitarist, he has given concerts and masterclasses in Japan and abroad including North and South America, Europe, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia. He has also performed with many ensembles both within and outside Japan.
He formed Ensemble NOMAD in 1997 and has been its Music Director ever since. The ensemble gives three subscription concerts annually, which are acclaimed for their unique programming with specific themes and high-quality performance. The group has been invited from music festivals around the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Venezuela, U.K., France, Mexico, China and South Korea.
He is the recipient of the Kyoto Prize (1993), Kenzo Nakajima Prize (1994), and Asahi Prize for Contemporary Music (1996). In addition to his performing career, he currently teaches at Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Nihon University College of Art and Ferris University.
[as of February 2020]