Kenji Fuse, Monday Magazine's 2011 Classical/New Music Performer of the Year, is Principal Violist of the Victoria Symphony and faculty member at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Most notably he has soloed with the Victoria Symphony, giving the BC premiere of the Hétu Viola concerto, as well as performing his own Viola Concerto, under the baton of superstar conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
"...delectable...a splendid performance...", (Deryk Barker, Times Colonist)
Growing in his focus as an educator, Kenji recently joined the string faculty at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and is quickly being sought after by other local educational institutions. He is the viola coach for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, is on faculty for the Comox Valley Youth Music Camp, and has taught at the University of Victoria and the Collegium chamber music course at the VCM. Kenji also had the honour of serving as juror, along with violist Michael vander Sloot and distinguished violinist Andrew Dawes, for the VCM’s inaugural String Competition.
Kenji is an avid chamber musician and concert innovator. He has participated in many festivals, including ScotiaFest (performing the Rite of Spring, Miraculous Mandarin and La Mer under the legendary conductor Pierre Boulez), the Victoria Summer Music Festival, and the Liverpool Philharmonic's Summer Pops Festival. Kenji also participates in the annual Eine Kleine Summer Chamber Music Festival, as the violist of the Muse Ensemble, alongside Victoria Symphony concertmaster Terence Tam, EKSM music director and cellist Laura Backstrom, and piano virtuoso Lorraine Min. Their debut CD, featuring the Brahms G Minor Piano Quartet, has been very well received. The Victoria Symphony's highly acclaimed Reel Music series, a juried film music competition pairing Canadian composers with classic films, was the brainchild of Kenji, about which Victoria Symphony Music Director Tania Miller has said: "Reel Music was one of the most fantastic projects the Victoria Symphony has put on. Truly, I don't think there are many concert experiences and new creations that are out there in Canada that would compare."
In 2013 he founded a chamber music series based at Logan's Pub, where his string quartet established a summer residency, performing an eclectic mix of standard repertoire, 20th century compositions and rock songs, primarily to enthusiastic, non-classical crowds. Bringing classical music to the streets!
"Only in Victoria Award -- Victoria violist Kenji Fuse staged Violapalooza, a concert to raise money for the Island Biodiesel Co-op. As part of the event, Fuse -- whose 1976 Mercedes runs on sushi restaurant waste oil -- demonstrated to a rapt audience how to make a litre of biodiesel. Then he played his viola." (Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist)
A composer of note, Kenji has received many commissions, grants and awards, from the Canada Council, the BC Arts Council, the Victoria Symphony, English Horn player Russell Bajer, and French horn player Martin Hackleman. Kenji is expanding his teaching to music theory and composition. With a deep interest in melding classical and popular music influences, Kenji has written, produced and arranged many rock songs and recordings, including a string trio of songs by the Kinks and an arrangement of I’ll Believe In Anything, by his friend Dan Boechner's legendary art-rock band, Wolf Parade.
"...delectable...a splendid performance...", (Deryk Barker, Times Colonist)
Growing in his focus as an educator, Kenji recently joined the string faculty at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and is quickly being sought after by other local educational institutions. He is the viola coach for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, is on faculty for the Comox Valley Youth Music Camp, and has taught at the University of Victoria and the Collegium chamber music course at the VCM. Kenji also had the honour of serving as juror, along with violist Michael vander Sloot and distinguished violinist Andrew Dawes, for the VCM’s inaugural String Competition.
Kenji is an avid chamber musician and concert innovator. He has participated in many festivals, including ScotiaFest (performing the Rite of Spring, Miraculous Mandarin and La Mer under the legendary conductor Pierre Boulez), the Victoria Summer Music Festival, and the Liverpool Philharmonic's Summer Pops Festival. Kenji also participates in the annual Eine Kleine Summer Chamber Music Festival, as the violist of the Muse Ensemble, alongside Victoria Symphony concertmaster Terence Tam, EKSM music director and cellist Laura Backstrom, and piano virtuoso Lorraine Min. Their debut CD, featuring the Brahms G Minor Piano Quartet, has been very well received. The Victoria Symphony's highly acclaimed Reel Music series, a juried film music competition pairing Canadian composers with classic films, was the brainchild of Kenji, about which Victoria Symphony Music Director Tania Miller has said: "Reel Music was one of the most fantastic projects the Victoria Symphony has put on. Truly, I don't think there are many concert experiences and new creations that are out there in Canada that would compare."
In 2013 he founded a chamber music series based at Logan's Pub, where his string quartet established a summer residency, performing an eclectic mix of standard repertoire, 20th century compositions and rock songs, primarily to enthusiastic, non-classical crowds. Bringing classical music to the streets!
"Only in Victoria Award -- Victoria violist Kenji Fuse staged Violapalooza, a concert to raise money for the Island Biodiesel Co-op. As part of the event, Fuse -- whose 1976 Mercedes runs on sushi restaurant waste oil -- demonstrated to a rapt audience how to make a litre of biodiesel. Then he played his viola." (Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist)
A composer of note, Kenji has received many commissions, grants and awards, from the Canada Council, the BC Arts Council, the Victoria Symphony, English Horn player Russell Bajer, and French horn player Martin Hackleman. Kenji is expanding his teaching to music theory and composition. With a deep interest in melding classical and popular music influences, Kenji has written, produced and arranged many rock songs and recordings, including a string trio of songs by the Kinks and an arrangement of I’ll Believe In Anything, by his friend Dan Boechner's legendary art-rock band, Wolf Parade.
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Kenji holds degrees from the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Lorand Fenyves and Steven Dann, respectively.
He also privately attended Rivka Golani's masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, under a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. He has attended masterclasses at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the University of Victoria, and is an alumnus of both the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
Kenji has played with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Vancouver Symphony, the Aventa Ensemble, and the Toronto Chamber Players.
In 2006, Kenji co-founded, incorporated and sits on the board of directors of the Island Biodiesel Co-op, which produces thousands of litres of carbon-neutral fuel every year, made locally from recycled restaurant cooking oil.
He also privately attended Rivka Golani's masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, under a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. He has attended masterclasses at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the University of Victoria, and is an alumnus of both the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
Kenji has played with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Vancouver Symphony, the Aventa Ensemble, and the Toronto Chamber Players.
In 2006, Kenji co-founded, incorporated and sits on the board of directors of the Island Biodiesel Co-op, which produces thousands of litres of carbon-neutral fuel every year, made locally from recycled restaurant cooking oil.
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Email: [email protected] Tel: 250.381.6502
© 2014 Fuse ⎜All Rights Reserved
Email: [email protected] Tel: 250.381.6502
© 2014 Fuse ⎜All Rights Reserved