Ryo Noda
b. 1948
Japanese
Biography
Ryo Noda, born in Amagasaki (Japan) in 1948, has been hailed throughout the Western hemisphere for his perfect control, powerful avant-garde improvisations and innovative playing techniques. While he is a leading exponent of new Japanese music for the saxophone, his repertoire also includes Western music of the baroque, classical and romantic periods. Noda graduated from the Osaka College of Music as a saxophonist. He pursued advanced music studies at Northwestern University (Illinois) under Fred L. Hemke and at the Bordeaux Conservatory under Jean-Marie Londeix. He was twice awarded the Osaka City Art Festival Prize and, in 1986, won the Osaka Prefecture Old Award; he also received the Grand Prix of the Yamaha Electone Festival in 1989. Noda’s work as a composer was recognized in 1973 when he was awarded the SACEM Composition Prize.