Join internationally acclaimed composer Dai Fujikura in conversation with symposium convenor Dr Adeline Wong as he reflects on his creative practice, compositional approaches and the ideas that shape his work. This session offers insight into Fujikura’s journey as a composer.

PANELLISTS

DAI FUJIKURA, composer
with
ADELINE WONG, symposium convenor

ABOUT DAI FUJIKURA

Dai Fujikura is a composer based in London, UK. Born in Osaka, Japan in 1977, he moved to the UK at fifteen and later studied with Sir George Benjamin. His diverse work spans opera, orchestral and chamber music, music theatre, experimental and improvised music, and collaborations across artistic disciplines.

His operas include SOLARIS, The Gold-Bug and A Dream of Armageddon, which premiered at the New National Theatre Tokyo in 2020. His orchestral works have been performed by ensembles including the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Seattle Symphony and New York Philharmonic. In recent years, he has received commissions for Japanese traditional instruments including shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, biwa and sheng, as well as European period instruments.

Fujikura works closely with performers throughout the compositional process, often sharing score fragments and recordings to develop works through direct dialogue. He has collaborated across genres with artists including Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Sylvian. Since 2017, he has served as Artistic Director of the Born Creative Festival at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and leads composition workshops for children in Fukushima. His numerous awards include the Ivor Novello Award, Royal Philharmonic Society Award, Silver Lion from the Venice Biennale and WIRED Audi Innovation Award.