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Kenji Haba Kenji Haba is a guitarist who heralds a new direction for classical guitar through his insight and work with the coloration of sounds, as well as through bringing new formats to the landscape, including the innovative guitar-­‐cello ensemble. He is well known for his interpretation of Toru Takemitsu, his performances having been described as an “ideal match for Takemitsu’s music” by Fanfare. He is also an active performer of contemporary music, with over 20 pieces of music written for and premiered by him. He has performed as a solo and chamber musician throughout the States, including in New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia as well as in Japan. In 2011, Kenji Haba was appointed as featured artist at the 3rd Annual Special Guitar Concert, in New York City, sponsored by Vox Novus. The highlight of the next season is his debut at the Carnegie Hall in January 2014, with Susan Mandel, Cello. Kenji Haba has had opportunities to work with some of the preeminent composers of our time, such as a Grammy nominated composer, Sergio Roberto, Dai Fujikura, Chia-­‐Yu, Ashley John Long, Salim Dada, Oswaldo, and many others. He has premiered over 20 pieces of music written for him. Kenji Haba and Vox Novus, NYC based composer’s organization, have been working closely, and he was the first guitarist to be appointed to perform the 15 minutes of fame project as a part of Composer’s voice concert series as well as Tennessee Classical Guitar Seminar in 2011. In 2010, Mr. Haba released his debut CD, music of Toru Takemitsu. Fanfare magazine highly praised the work, saying that Mr. Haba’s “nuanced performances are an ideal match for Takemitsu’s refined music.” Since then, Mr. Haba has been gaining more and more attention for his interpretations of the music of Takemitsu. Mr. Haba’s love of chamber music resulted in a collaboration with award winning American cellist, Susan Mandel. Kenji and Susan formed Impulse, a guitar and cello duo, to explore this ensemble possibility. After its debut performance at Composer’s voice 100th Gala concert, Impulse immediately gained high reputation for their performance, and composers such as Marisol Gentile (Argentina), Masatora Goya (Japanese), Michael Kropf (America) and others have approached them for collaboration. Impulse will make its debut at prestigious Carnegie Hall in January 2014. In addition, Kenji Haba has shared the stage with other eminent artists such as Oren Fader, Gregory Durozel. The performance with Oren Fader (guitar), was covered by Sukan New York Seikatsu, praising the ‘two renowned guitarists’. His performance with Gregory Durozel (violin) was a sold out Valentine’s day concert in New Jersey that ended with multiple standing ovations. Eastern and western cultural experiences have influenced Mr. Haba’s musical perception and directed him to a unique artistry. He was born in a rural area, called Mino-­‐City, Japan. In 2001, he moved to United States to study Business, and worked for an accounting firm in NY. However, at age of 25, he listened to the sound of the master guitarist, Andres Segovia, and he came to an epiphany and realized he needed to pursue the art of the guitar. In 2006, Haba began studying classical guitar under renowned guitarist, Kevin R. Gallagher, and after one year of study, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music Master of Music Program, and worked with Mark Delpriora.