Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, followed by the Department of Composition at Tokyo University of the Arts, where he also completed his graduate studies. He is Professor Emeritus at Toho Gakuen Graduate School.
His works, including the opera “White Bird” and orchestral piece “Fujin-Raijin” among many others, have been performed extensively both in Japan and abroad. In 1977, he became the second person in history to win the Grand Prix at the International Competition of Ballet and Opera Music in Geneva for his work “Enlacement.” His “Sinfonia Concertante ‘Elan Vital'” won the Otaka Prize in 2005. His other accolades include the Nakajima Kenzo Music Prize, the Grand Prize at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival, and the Bekku Prize.
He has composed numerous chamber music pieces, instrumental works, traditional Japanese music, vocal music, and choral works. His complete collection of 53 songs “White Songs Blue Songs,” created in collaboration with poet Gan Tanigawa, has been arranged in various ways. His “Tsubute Songs,” a set of 12 pieces based on edited poems by Ryoichi Wago, has gained particularly wide recognition. In 2018, he was featured as the theme composer at the Music From Japan Festival in New York, where his solo exhibition, including new works, received critical acclaim.
His published works include “Living is Music,” “The Wonder of Songs,” and “A.E. or Singing of Hope.” He maintains an active blog on his official website: https://tokuhideniimi.com/
A blog on the website is available.