Yasunori Imamura

Yasunori Imamura (今村 泰典, Imamura Yasunori, born 19 October 1953 in Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese lutenist. Imamura has appeared on more than 120 CDs, both as a soloist and as a member of ensembles. His solo recordings include the complete lute works by Johann Sebastian Bach, three volumes of lute sonatas by Silvius Leopold Weiss, pièces pour théorbe by Robert de Visée, and the complete lute fantasies by Simone Molinario. His teachers included lute with Eugen Müller-Dombois and Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where in 1981 he received his soloist's diploma. In addition, he studied interpretation and basso continuo with Ton Koopman and Johann Sonnleitner and composition with Wolfgang Neininger. Imamura has collaborated with such artists as Cecilia Bartoli, Teresa Berganza, Gérard Lesne, Marc Minkowski, Michael Schneider, Martin Gester, Maurice Steger, Masaaki Suzuki, Alan Curtis and Paul Goodwin. Mr. Imamura is a member of La Stagione Frankfurt, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Camerata Köln, Le Parlement de Musique and Il Complesso Barocco.Imamura created the ensemble “Fons Musicae” in 1997. They have released five recordings - "Airs de cour" (Michel Lambert), and recording dedicated exclusively to works by Giovanni Bononcini, Agostino Steffani, Antonio Caldara and Francesco Gasparini. These recordings have received awards including “Classica” (France) and “Sterne des Monats”. Imamura teaches lute at the Conservatoire National de Région, Strasbourg since 1984. In 1989, he began teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. He gives master-classes in Europe and throughout the Far East.