Schoichiro Hokazono

Born in 1969 in Kagoshima, Japan, Shoichiro Hokazono completed the Diploma Course at the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi in 1994. He studied euphonium under Toru Miura, Kaoru Tsuyuki, and Stephen Mead.

In 1992, he won First Prize and the Grand Prize at the 9th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition. In 1997, he was awarded “Euphonium Player of the Year” at the British Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and later that year, he won First Prize in the Euphonium Division at the Philip Jones Brass Competition in France.

He has performed as a soloist with major orchestras and ensembles in Japan, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, and Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra. During his tenure with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band, he appeared frequently as a featured soloist.

Since leaving the Air Self-Defense Force in March 2013, he has been active internationally as a soloist while also leading ensembles such as The Tuba Band and Brass Hexagon. In 2013, he formed the duo unit “Wor-heri” with tubist Shinpei Tsugita, and in 2015, he established another duo with percussionist Tomohiro Nishikubo.

He has also appeared on television programs such as “Untitled Concert” and “La La La Classic,” as well as on NHK-FM. To date, he has released 27 albums; his latest recording is Nami no Aya.

He is currently Professor at Tokyo College of Music, and serves as Visiting Professor at Elisabeth University of Music, Kyoto City University of Arts, and Showa University of Music, as well as Special Lecturer at Soai University. He is also an affiliated artist with Buffet Crampon Japan.