Kaoli Isshiki

Kaoli Isshiki
色 香織
Born	Japan
Education	Tokyo University of the Arts École Normale de Musique de Paris
Occupation	Soprano
Organizations	Accentus Musicatreize

Kaoli Isshiki (一色 香織, Isshiki Kaori), also Kaoli Isshiki-Didier, is a Japanese soprano based in France. She has performed and recorded a repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music as both a member of vocal ensembles as a soloist.

Life and career

Isshiki studying singing at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Fascinated by French music, she moved to Paris in 1996 to complete her studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.

Vocal ensembles

In France, Isshiki has been a member of vocal ensembles and choirs including Accentus , Musicatreize from 2001, and the Nederlands Kamerkoor from 2003. She has also worked with the Ensemble William Byrd from 2005, and with Ludus Modalis.

Soloist in concert

She was the soloist in Unsuk Chin's Akrostichon - Wortspiel with the Ensemble intercontemporain at the Philharmonie de Paris on 22 September 2000. She appeared at the 2009 BBC Proms, alongside Bauwien van der Meer, Francine Vis and Netherlands Wind Ensemble conducted by Lucas Vis, performing Louis Andriessen De Staat for women's voices and large ensemble, setting texts from Plato's Republic in Greek. She performed as a soloist in Autland, a performance of the 2009 Ruhrtriennale festival also given in Berlin and Moscow, directed by Beate Baron and conducted by Titus Engel. She appeared in 2021 in a concert of British and American minimalism with the Brussels Philharmonic and the Ictus ensemble, singing in Steve Reich's Tehillim, setting s of psalms verses.

Opera

Isshiki took part in a performance of Manuel de Falla's Les Tréteaux de Maître Pierre at the Opéra de Rouen, collaborating with the Scène nationale d'Evreux that celebrated its centenary. The rarely played chamber opera is based on chapter 26 of Don Quixote. It was performed by Laurence Equilbey conducting her Accentus Choir and the Leonardo da Vinci Orchestra. Isshiki performed the double role of Truchement and Enfant. In 2022 she performed the role of Princess Mi-Châu in Tôn-Thất Tiết's L'Arbalète magique with the Musicatreize ensemble, conducted by Roland Hayrabedian, at the Conservatoire de Caen.

Recordings

Isshiki has participated in recordings, both as ensemble member as a soloist. In 1999 she recorded music by Finnish and Swedish composers as a member of Accantus conducted by Eric Ericson; she appeared as soloist in works by Jan Sandström and Lars Johan Werle. She recorded Circé by Dominique Lemaître for soprano and 8 cellos. In 2004 she took part in a DVD Le Tombeau, a tribute to Marc-Antoine Charpentier's music, performed by Il Seminario Musicale conducted by Gérard Lesne. She participated in a recording of Micromégas, a music drama based on Voltaire by Paul Méfano, as La Bonimenteuse, released in 2007. She performed alongside Royanne Dupuis, Eric Trémolières and Nicholas Isherwood, with Pierre Villa-Loumagne as the narrator, and the Ensemble 2e2m conducted by Pierre Roullier.

Isshiki was a soprano soloists in a 2017 recording of Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine with Ludus Modalis, conducted by Bruno Boterf, who chose to perform Monteverdi's vocal parts only with basso continuo, which is a valid alternative as the composer noted in the score. A reviewer described the singing as "excellent", with "immaculate" blending of the voices.

External links

• Kaoli Isshiki discography at Discogs
• Kaoli Isshiki-Didier (一色香織) Official site on YouTube
• Kaoli Isshiki (in French) Prod-S
• Kaoli Isshiki-Didier (soprano) (in French) ensemblevocaldepontoise.fr
• Charpentier Tristes Deserts gramophone.co.uk 2007
• All performances fabermusic.com