Yasuhiko "Yaz" Fukuoka
composer / pianist / arranger

By the age of 12, Yasuhiko knew he wanted to be a musician.
Born in Nara, Japan, he studied classical piano, composition and percussion with various prestigious professors in Japan. At the age of 15, his self-published CD caught the attention of a producer at Kintetsu Cable Network (Japan), and he began his career in music. By the time he graduated from high school, he had already written and produced music for TV and film, as well as composed for various bands and concerts.

At 18, he was granted a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music and moved to the US. While working with great musicians from all over the world, he learned different genres of music including classical music, contemporary music, computer music, film music, and music from different countries.

During his schooling years, he received numerous awards such as an Award for Excellence at both the Kyoto Piano Competition and the Yamaha PTC Concert, Berklee World Scholarship, the BMI Scholarship, Roland Award, to name a few. In 2005, Berklee Film Scoring department commissioned Yasuhiko to compose an orchestra piece to represent the department at the PWD Concert. The premier of the piece was enthusiastically received, and he received publicity from both local and Japanese media.

After graduating Berklee with the highest honor, he moved to New York and started working as a freelance composer. He has been writing for television, film, theater, as well as arranging / producing for various artists internationally. He also works with world-renowned producer / DJ Kazuhiko Gomi on many projects. In 2010, he was chosen to be one of the nine emerging film composers to participate in the BMI filmscoring workshop with Rick Baitz.

He has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Webster Hall, Berklee Performance Center and David Friend Recital Hall in Boston and many other venues in Japan. His credit includes TV, Film, Theater, Commercial videos, as well as concert pieces. His works have been played in the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Germany.

He studies include: composition with Yukiou Maeda, John Bavicchi and Dr. Richard Boulanger; conducting with David Callahan; classical piano with Kazutaka Kanazawa and Yoko Nakamura, jazz piano with Laszlo Gardony and Bob Winter, and master class with Oxana Yablonskaya.

福岡保彦（フクオカ・ヤスヒコ）
作曲家 / ピアニスト / アレンジャー

奈良県出身。

９歳の時からピアノを始め、作曲、編曲、打楽器等を勉強し、１５歳の時に自主制作したCDが地元のテレビ局のプロデューサーの目に留まり、作曲家として活動し始める。高校を卒業するまでにはコンサートの作編曲を始め、映像音楽にも携わる。

高校卒業後単身渡米し、バークリー音楽大学に奨学金を得て入学。映画音楽科と電子音楽科を両方専攻。在学中の活動が認められ、同校より毎年奨学金を授与されるほか、２００４年には電子音楽科の推薦でローランド株式会社創始者、梯郁太郎氏から直々に奨学金を受ける。また２００５年には日本人として初めて、米国大手 BMI (Broadcast Music Inc)より奨学金を受け、同年には学部３００人を代表してオーケストラの曲を委託作曲。２００６年に同校を最高位の名誉を得て卒業し、アーティストビザを得てニューヨークに移住。フリーランスの作曲家として音楽活動を始める。

これまでにカーネギーホール、スタンウェイホール、マーキン・コンサートホール、バードランド、ウェブスターホール、バークリー・パフォーマンスセンターを始め他数の会場で演奏／自作曲を披露する傍ら、映画音楽、テレビ、演劇の為の作曲、またブロードウェーの歌手達とも競演。また、世界で活躍するDJ GomiのアシスタントとしてレーベルGominationの設立や、Misia等のプロジェクトに参加。２０１０年にはBMIより全米で９人の若手映画音楽作曲家の一人に選ばれ、ワークショップやレコーディングに参加する。

多国籍／多分野にわたって活動をし、アメリカを始め日本、韓国、イタリア、イギリス、カナダでの作品の発表も行なった。

作曲を故前田行央、John Bavicchi、Dr. Richard Boulanger、指揮法をDavid Callahan;、クラシックピアノを金澤和孝、中村陽子、ジャズピアノをLaszlo GardonyとBob Winter各氏に師事。ジュリアード音楽院元教授のOxana Yablonskayaのマスタークラスも受ける。

現在マンハッタン在住。