After winning the Grand Prize and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award at the Kumamoto National Japanese Music Competition, a gateway to success in the Japanese music world, he released three albums. LEO is a koto artist who has garnered attention for his wide range of performances ranging from classical to contemporary music. We listened to his words as he made his debut after a chance encounter with the koto, and is active both as a student at Tokyo University of the Arts and as a professional artist.

The koto taught me
What is identity?

Koto artist LEO appeared at the studio carrying a 180cm long koto. After quickly setting the koto and adjusting the strings, the sound of the koto echoes throughout the studio. Everyone just listened to LEO play the koto dynamically and delicately. After he had taken a breather, I invited him to the table and offered him some tea and sweets, and there was a 22-year-old young man there, smiling and carefreely enjoying the sweets. However, once the interview began, he took on the appearance of an artist, and spoke with sincerity about his first encounter with the koto.

My first encounter with the koto was at the age of 9 in a music class at an international school in Yokohama. Koto was included in the compulsory music curriculum, and he received lessons from Curtis Patterson, who is also a music teacher at the school and is also an active American koto player.

As soon as LEO touches the koto, he is captivated and becomes obsessed with it. ``Many musical instruments require practice before you can make a sound, but with the koto, you can make a sound right away, so it was fun.In a small school with about 1 students per grade, I was the first to play the koto. I had a competitive spirit, wanting to be the best at playing."

Immediately after koto classes started, I was asked to buy my own koto. "I would come home from school at 4 p.m. Then I would play until 6 p.m., have dinner, play again from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m., and go to sleep. On the weekends, I would play all day long." His enthusiasm was amazing. However, what drew me to the koto was not just the fun of being able to make sounds easily, or my childish competitive spirit of wanting to be the best at school.

Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, his heart was in turmoil at the time. ``My father and mother divorced, and then my mother remarried and I started living with my Japanese father.At that time, I was still a child and couldn't express my feelings in words. However, I understand now that I was having doubts about my identity and my roots.But when I encountered the koto, something inside me made sense. It was a relief, or rather, it solidified my identity. That's why I fell in love with it." It was the traditional musical instrument, the koto, that provided answers to LEO's childhood questions.

I want to be a professional
A quiet determination to make dreams come true

When we think of koto music, we tend to think of classical pieces such as ``Haru no Umi,'' but the modern koto music of Kazue Sawai, who organizes the Sawai Koto Institute, to which LEO belongs, and Higaru Sawai, are avant-garde. Mr. Hikawa is also part of a heavy metal band, and his appeal lies in the freedom of expression that is vastly different from traditional koto music. ``Of course I play classical pieces, but I also became familiar with Sawai Sensei's rock-like songs ever since I started learning the koto.'' When LEO performs, everyone praises him for being cool and has the good vibes of an international school, and LEO becomes even more into it.

At the age of 14, he won the Grand Prix at the National Koto Music Competition for Elementary and Junior High School Students, and at the age of 16, he won the Grand Prize and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award at the Kumamoto National Japanese Music Competition. Her becoming the youngest person in history to win the award became a hot topic. "By the time I was in junior high school, I had started seriously thinking about becoming a professional player. But when I told my family about my feelings, everyone was against it." In particular, her maternal grandfather strongly admonished LEO, saying, ``The world is not so kind that you can make a living through music.'' Her grandfather was a successful bridal businessman in his own generation. Partly because he wanted to hand over the future of his business to LEO someday, he objected to turning professional.

But he is a person with a strong competitive spirit. In order to overturn strong opposition, it is not possible to go head-on. So change your strategy. I stopped talking about wanting to become a professional and decided to pursue my original goal of attending Tokyo University of the Arts. This strategy was successful, and there were no voices of opposition if he entered the University of the Arts. Under the pretext of studying for higher education, he further focused on the koto. However, in his heart, his dream of living as a koto artist never wavered. In the second part, we will hear about LEO's breakthrough opportunity and where he aims to go from here.

→Continue to the current location of young koto artist LEO (Part 2)

LEO 　

Koto artist. Born in Yokohama in 1998. Her real name is Reo Konno. She began playing the koto at the age of 9 in music class at Yokohama International School under the guidance of koto player Curtis Patterson. She later studied under Kazue Sawai, a koto player. When she was 14 years old, she won the grand prize at the National Koto Music Competition for Elementary and Junior High School Students. At 16 years old, she was the youngest person in the history of the ``She is Kumamoto National Japanese Music Competition'' and won the Grand Prize and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. In March 2017, she made her major debut with her 3st album "Reo 1st". In 1, she appeared on the MBS documentary program "Jonetsu Tairiku" and TV Asahi's "Untitled Concert". She released her second album ``Reo Encounters: Encounter'' in August. In 2018, she performed at Suntory Hall's "Coming of Age Day Concert". She won the 8th Idemitsu Music Award. She is currently a lecturer at the Sawai Koto Academy.

◆2021 concert information
Please see LEO's official website for details.

Sunday, January 1th Kyoto City Symphony Orchestra Special Concert “New Year Concert” (Kyoto Concert Hall/Large Hall)

Saturday, January 1th Yamanami Family Concert (Coors Tech Hadano Culture Hall)

Thursday, February 2th Hakuju Hall Reclining Concert 25th LEO Koto Recital