Atsuhiro Usami (flute) and Ayaka Usami (piano) are the principal artists of poisson rouge musique, creating both concert programs and recorded works.
In their concerts, they do not simply present a sequence of pieces. They shape a single musical time by carefully exploring the relationships between works and the flow and resonance that emerge from their placement.
In their recordings, they approach music not only as performance, but as a complete work that includes space and acoustics, offering a form of expression distinct from live concerts.
Flute: Atsuhiro Usami
Atsuhiro Usami completed the chamber music course at the École Normale de Musique de Paris. He studied flute with the late Jiro Nagaosa, Yoshiaki Teramoto, and Philippe Lesgourgues, and chamber music with Chantal De Buchy, and recorder with Marcelo Milchberg.
Since his debut, he has developed distinctive concert projects, including collaborations between music and contemporary art, as well as solo recitals. Through projects such as Water Concert, ARIA×AIR, and present, he has pursued performances that emphasize the relationships between works and the overall flow of a concert space.
After returning from France, he has focused on French repertoire, organizing and performing programs such as Music of Paris and Chamber Music of Paris.
In addition to his performing career, he is deeply involved in recording production, seeking to realize sound that satisfies his own musical ear. For him, recording is not merely documentation, but another form of artistic creation parallel to the concert.
In 2024, he released his third CD album, CINEMA flute & piano.
For details on recording and production, please see the Recording Profile.
Piano: Ayaka Usami
Ayaka Usami graduated from the Music Course of Gifu Prefectural Kano High School and from Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts. She was a scholarship recipient of the Sadao Yamada Music Foundation. She studied piano with Junko Yamada, Emiko Ueno, Keita Kosaka, and Philippe Bianconi.
She completed the Gifu Liszt Academy Master Course (2016), was selected to perform in the Emerging Artists Concert of Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts (2021), and completed the Kyoto French Music Academy (2023).
While still a university student, she began performing with flutist Atsuhiro Usami, appearing in programs such as French Pieces for Flute and Piano and Longing for Distant Lands – The World of Debussy.
In flute repertoire, she approaches the piano not as mere accompaniment, but as an essential presence that supports the flow and resonance of the music as a whole.
She is currently engaged in both concert activities and recording projects at poisson rouge musique, primarily through her duo with Atsuhiro Usami.
Atsuhiro Usami and Ayaka Usami continue their activities through both concerts and recorded works. A duo concert in 2017 marked a turning point, clarifying their current approach of constructing programs as unified musical works.
In 2018, they released their first CD album, French Flute Masterpieces. The track En Bateau was featured as the ending theme of NHK-FM’s program Night Station – Snow Mountain Fantasy.
In 2022, they released their second CD album, Clair de lune – French Flute Works. It was described in Ongaku Gendai magazine as “the flute sound flows naturally like the atmosphere itself,” and “the piano adds depth to the works through its rich variety of tone colors.” Both albums were selected as recommended recordings.
In 2024, they presented a duo recital based on arrangements by contemporary composers and released their third CD album, CINEMA flute & piano.
* Source: Ongaku Gendai, November 2022 issue