Stage performance
10 - 30 min single stage performance
PHOTOS, ARTWORK & PERFORMANCE STILLS
Aki Kitagawa gallery
Cultural performers
Aki Kitagawa
Based in Nottingham, UK
Nottingham-based Ikuta-ryu koto performer, affiliated with the Sawai Koto Institute.
Aki Kitagawa is a koto player based in Nottingham. He plays the Ikuta-ryu koto and is a member of Sawai Koto Institute. His repertoire of music include both Japanese classical that gives a delicate atmosphere, and modern music that are upbeat and occasionally intense. He actively collaborates with musicians from the UK and across Europe to explore the possibility of koto and outreach to wider music communities.
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More about Aki Kitagawa
Alongside solo koto performances, Aki explores collaboration and improvisation through Kodama, his project with analogue-synthesiser artist Clementine Blue. Their music combines koto, electronics and field recordings, drawing inspiration from the natural environments of Japan and the UK.
His performance activity ranges from cultural festivals to recital settings. In 2026 he appeared in an evening of koto music presented by the Embassy of Japan in Cyprus with The Cyprus Institute.
In focus
- Ikuta-ryū koto in solo, ensemble and collaborative settings
- Kodama collaboration with Clementine Blue
- Classical repertoire, contemporary music and improvisation
Collaboration & improvisation
Aki’s recent portfolio explores the koto alongside piano, improvisation and ensemble playing. His performance posts include a duet programme for Ikebana Lincolnshire, shaped around the theme of water and performed among the exhibitors’ flower arrangements.
His ongoing collaboration with Clementine Blue, Kodama, also provides a recorded outlet for koto, analogue synthesisers and nature-inspired sound. The project’s album is available through its official Bandcamp page.