Kosuke Matsuda

Born in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1992. Graduated with honors in the Master's Program in Wind and Percussion Instruments from the Graduate School of Music at Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts. Completed the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Art and Culture Associates Development Program. Completed ESL at Towson University in Maryland, and completed the Master's Program and Artist Diploma at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami (UM) in Florida. Plans to enter the Doctoral Program at the University of California, San Diego in the fall of 2021. Studied marimba with Yoko Yamagashiro, Kunihiko Komori, and Svet Stoyanov, and percussion with Masahiro Okada, Koji Fukamachi, and Matthew Strauss. Attended master classes with Michael Britt, Jean Geoffroy, Isao Nakamura, Nanae Mimura, and Eriko Omo. Has performed with marimba player Kunihiko Komori, guitar player Norio Sato, composer Wataru Iwamoto, and the New World Symphony (Miami), among others.

Won the gold prize in the wind and percussion category at the 11th Kyushu Music Competition. Won the gold prize for two consecutive years at the 34th and 35th Nagasaki Prefectural High School Music Competitions and was recommended for the All Kyushu Competition, winning the gold prize and grand prize at the 35th All Kyushu Competition (final round).

Won first place and the judges' special award in the percussion category at the 14th Changjiang Cup International Music Competition. Won the Excellence Award at the 43rd Nagasaki Prefecture Newcomer Concert Audition. Appeared in the 10th Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts Graduate School Best Alumni Concert. Appeared at the 39th Chubu Yomiuri Newcomer Concert. Performed the full Japan premiere of Philippe Manoury's "Les Books de Clavier" at the Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts Percussion Research Society Concert.

He also does a lot of outreach performances. While studying at Ueno Gakuen University, he formed the performance group Casa Felice. They perform at welfare facilities and children's facilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. He was awarded a scholarship (A-course) from the 12th Sony Student Volunteer Fund, and organized the "Heartful Festival," a festival to support the handicapped.

He was a lecturer at the music workshop "Learn and Relax Music", a cultural arts project using universities, sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, sponsored by Ueno Gakuen University in 2016. He also acted as Hummel and acted as a concert navigator at Suntory Hall's Rainbow 21 production "Dr. Hummel and His Times" (2014).