Sohichiroh Shigematsu (Soso)

pianist / composer / improviser

 

Born in 1973, in Osaka, he grew up in Yokohama, Japan.
Travelling around the country playing only his own original compositions, Soso touches the hearts of young and old with his unique sound. He’s an independent artist playing about a hundred concerts a year, but hasn't signed to any major record label, which is quite rare for a professional musician in Japan.
His music is the sound of love for every life form, however small. It's “symbiotic music” for people and nature, and all living things.
When Soso plays it’s as if the hearts of every single person in the audience are reflected in his sound, which resonates through to the depths of our modern day minds.
He also organizes ecology and peace events in borderless collaboration with other artists from genres such as art, literature and food. He toured the U.S.A. several times (New York, Iowa), and also played in Australia (Melbourne), Thailand (Bangkok), Italy (Firenze, Puglia), Nederland and Belgium.
He co-produced the soundtrack for the documentary about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Japan in April 2005.
He assisted in the recording of “The Flight of the Hummingbird”, a song inspired by the famous tale from South America, by Anja Light, the singer song writer and environmentalist from Australia.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake he organized charity concerts, and also toured the stricken areas. He composed the song “Unforgettable Memories” about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 1945.
Soso also appeared in several radio and TV shows, and as he continues to travel the world his musical expression extends further.