Michiko Hirayama

Japanese Avant-Garde Vocalist

Japanese opera singer (14 July 1923 – 1 April 2018) completed her musical studies at the Tokyo University of the Arts and began her musical and theatrical career in Japan. She continued her studies in various Master Classes. Michiko Hirayama settled in Rome and, after a meeting with Domenico Guàccero, decided to devote herself to contemporary music. She then established a close collaboration with many avant-garde composers who since have dedicated over one hundred works to her which she has presented in first performance for the most important international music festivals, concert society series and radio and television stations. Her special and unique vocal range, which incorporates many techniques of the Japanese tradition, has been a fertile terrain for experimentation.