Simon Smith
Chairman
After his London debut recital he was hailed in The Times as “a virtuoso who is at once darkly cool and immensely persuasive” and for “selfless playing, devoted to making the music exist as fully as possible” and praised in The Guardian for “startling talent”. An encore at a subsequent London recital was described in The Strad magazine as being “played with the characteristic poignancy and expressive power which made this concert so enchanting”
Recently his disc of solo violin works by Kurtag and Bartok drew praise in The Strad Magazine as a “luxuriantly detailed reading” and in Gramophone Magazine for “his thoughtful, sympathetic performances.”
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Philharmonia, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Recitals have included the Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room. He has performed extensively across Russia with recitals and concerto performances from Moscow to Vladivostock, and played concertos in Hong Kong and Beijing. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary and he has made a speciality of performing Bach’s complete works for solo violin, in one evening.
A committed chamber musician, Simon was a member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Octet, performing in concert halls and broadcasts worldwide. Other projects have included the release of a CD of duos and trios by Kodaly and Dohnanyi.
For two decades Simon taught in UK Conservatoires - the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Trinity Laban in London. For many years he was also a violin teacher and chamber music coach in the Royal College of Music Junior Department. He is currently Head of Strings at Wells Cathedral School, one of the UK’s specialist music schools.
In addition to masterclasses throughout the UK he has visited and taught in institutions such as Central Conservatoire, Beijing; Academy of Performing Arts, Hong Kong; Conservatoires in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan, and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and School of the Arts in Singapore. He has been on the jury for international competitions in the UK, Russia and Romania.
He plays on a Rogeri violin, made in 1708 and acts as a consultant to Viaduct Violins in Paris.
Daisuke Iida
Artistic Director/Judge
Mr. Daisuke Iida was born in Tokyo. The member of JAPAN-CHINA CULTURAL EXCHANGE ASSOCIATION. Mr. Iida is active internationally as a Baroque musician based in Asia, including in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Bangkok and as artistic director of Handel Collegium, Early Music Society of Tokyo , Taiwan and Early Music Society of Bangkok Artistic Director.
Mr. Iida’s life’s work is to promote Baroque music in Asia and overseas. Under his direction, the Handel Collegium achieved international success in overseas concerts and has grown into one of the leading Asian Baroque professional ensemble with an unparalleled passion and skill for training young talents.
In 2025, he is invited to the Sorbas Almeria International Music Festival (Spain) as Guest professor of Early Music and as soloist.
In Hong Kong, Mr. Iida performed with Mr. Gary Ngan of the City Chamber orchestra, Mr. Tim Lam of the Early Music Society of Hong Kong, Mr. Michael Wilson who is the principal oboe of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Ms. Anne Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Mr. Iida also performed Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Messiah” as principal second violin in the Hong Kong Cammer Musicus Baroque orchestra with renowned British Baroque musician and founder of Arcangelo, Jonathan Coen.
The concert gained attention as the first historically-informed performance in Hong Kong that was also performed by Hong Kong citizens.
In addition, Mr. Iida has been a guest performer in the Early Music Society of Hong Kong concert series. Mr. Iida has also performed religious works with “Die Konzertisten,” a prestigious choral ensemble from Hong Kong, in the St. John Cathedral, having built a strong relationship with the ensemble through numerous collaborations.
Mr. Iida received an official invitation from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, a leading educational institution in Hong Kong, to hold an Handel Collegium concert in the Chung Chi College Chapel.
Mr. Iida was also invited to be a guest conductor by Early Music Carousel Taiwan, a Baroque orchestra in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for their concert series in December 2016.
In 2017, Mr. Iida was invited to hold a Baroque masterclass by the National Sun Yat-sen University Department of Music in Taiwan. His remarkable achievements in teaching historical interpretation and performance methods have received high praise.
The Handel Collegium chapel concert series was well received, featuring many guest artists from Hong Kong, Taiwan .
In January 2019, Mr. Iida performed J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor with members from the leading British Baroque ensemble Arcangelo. Mr. Iida has received praise from his collaborators, building a strong relationship with ensembles and musicians in Japan and overseas.
Mr. Iida has led more than 180 concerts to date, including the chapel concert series. His main repertoire includes G. F. Handel (specializing in his instrumental works), H. Purcell, A. Corelli, A. Vivaldi, Lully, Couperin and J. S. Bach. Mr. Iida continues to introduce new audiences to the enchantment of Baroque music.
In Russia, where both orchestra members and audiences have high standards, Mr. Iida has been received very warmly, with local media praising him and saying, “there is no doubt that his sound will fascinate you,” and that he “has strong leadership”.
Mr. Iida was the first Japanese guest conductor of the Northern Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra and Southern Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, and received a standing ovation.
Mr. Iida appears regularly as a guest conductor for Orchestra of the State Hermitage Museum.
He has previously performed with Tchaikovsky St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and Youth Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg.
After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School’s 54th graduating class, Mr. Iida moved to the United Kingdom, and went to the Guildhall Conservatory in London, where he studied under Mr. Gerhard Schmidt, a former Vienna Philharmonic member, and Mr. Oliver Webber of London Handel Players, a master of Baroque music.
After being discovered by two excellent teachers, Mr. Iida began to flourish and became devoted to Baroque music from an early stage in his career. After returning to Japan, Mr. Iida earned College Diploma from Toho Gakuen School of Music, continuing his graduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Early Music, where he was trained under world-class leading professors of Baroque music.
Mr. Iida performed Baroque ensemble works, such as J. S. Bach’s Cantatas and the St. John Passion with Mr. Masaaki Suzuki of the Bach Collegium Japan, and Telemann’s concertos with Ms. Hidemi Suzuki of the Orchestra Libera Classica.
Mr. Iida founded His Baroque Academy while studying at Tokyo University of the Arts. Mr. Iida has trained many college music students and professional musicians in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
His studio is a leading educational institution in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which provides classes in ensemble music and historically-informed performance.
His students include freelance musicians, graduates, and students at the bachelor and graduate levels from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo College of Music, Toho Gakuen School of Music, Musashino Academia Musicae, Senzoku Gakuen School of Music, Kunitachi College of Music, Nihon University College of Arts, Ueno Gakuen, Toho College of Music, Doushisha Women’s College, and others who graduated from musical institutions overseas.
Mr. Iida comments that, “in many music colleges, harmony, and performance methods are taught separately. The students do not know how to connect these two in actual performance. The lack of education becomes a detriment to correctly interpreting music from the Baroque and Classical eras. Students will be able to deliver better performances by knowing the harmony and performance practices of the time period and understanding the background and composer’s message behind the scores. This can be done even without holding a Baroque instrument.”
His former teachers include Mr. Kaname Miyashita, a former principal violinist of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and Ms. Natsumi Wakamtsu, a specialist in 18th Century orchestra and Baroque violinist of Bach Collegium Japan.
Mr. Iida studied ensemble and basso continuo with Mr. Yoshio Watanabe, a fortepiano player, Mr. Masahiro Arita, a traverso player, Ms. Hidemi Suzuki, a Baroque cellist, and Mr. Masaaki Suzuki, an organist. Mr. Iida studied traditional Russian conducting at an international conducting masterclass in St. Petersburg with world renowned conductor Mr. Alexander Polishchuk who leads opera works at the Mariinsky Theatre and Royal Opera House. Mr. Iida also studied conducting methods with Mr. Masao Kai who is a former professor at the conducting department of the Musashino Academia Musicae.
Shinko Takashima
Judge
Born in Fukuoka City, she began studying under the late Hiroko Suenaga at the age of five. After graduating from Musashino Academia Musicae, she traveled to France and studied under the late Aline van Barentzen for two years.
After returning to Japan, she served as a part-time lecturer at the Fukuoka Music Academy and as a judge for the Kyushu Yamaguchi Piano Competition. Since 1998, she has hosted the Morning Concert & Talk, a monthly concert primarily for young performers. She participates every year as a piano duo with pianist Naoko Shirakawa. In 2019, she held a 20th anniversary concert and a 20th anniversary performance (chamber music) of the Iwasaki Yoshiko Ensemble Seminar, a former professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, at Airefu Hall. She also managed the Iwasaki Yoshiko Music in Style Fukuoka performances (2013-2017).
Since 2011, she has been producing the Ohga Pharmacy Christmas Concert (featuring local musicians and the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra) which is held every two years (and continues to do so to this day). Since 1999, she has been holding a Christmas concert for children every December at the Nikko Hotel Chapel Prier. She continues to teach piano and plan concerts. In addition to the above, she has studied under Tomoko Shibata and Koichi Yasui.
Kie Orihara
Piano Accompanist
She began playing the piano at the age of four. She graduated from the Faculty of Music at Toho Gakuen School of Music. She placed third in the junior high school division of the 66th All-Japan Student Music Competition, Kitakyushu. She placed third in the high school division of the 67th All-Japan Student Music Competition, Kitakyushu. She placed second in the university student division of the 17th All-Japan Aaron Piano Competition, National Tournament. In 2022, she performed at the 20th Recommended Concert of the Kyushu Branch of the Japan Chopin Society and the 12th Toho Gakuen Music Department Alumni Association Kyushu Branch Concert, "A New Wind at Toho." She is currently based in Fukuoka, where she performs and trains the next generation of pianists. She is also expanding her activities as an accompanist and ballet pianist. She has previously studied under Akane Yoshida and Michiko Okamoto.
