NOZOMI

Duo Concert with Matthias Lindermayr and Masako Ohta at the Goethe-Institut Tokyo

The Goethe-Institut Tokyo is hosting a duo concert featuring Munich-based jazz trumpeter Matthias Lindermayr and pianist Masako Ohta.
In the fall of 2022, the two musicians released their first joint album, Mmmmh, on the German label Squama Recordings. The album was selected as "Album of the Month" by BR-Klassik and was listed among the "Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2022." It also received a nomination for the German Jazz Award 2023 in the "Album" category and was included in BR-Klassik's selection of the "Best 4 Live Concerts."
Their new album Nozomi was released in February 2025. To mark this occasion, Lindermayr and Ohta present their latest program. The interplay of trumpet and piano creates a multi-faceted sound, subtly evoking different moods and nuances.
 

Duo Ohta-Lindermayr

The duo Ohta-Lindermayr, consisting of pianist Masako Ohta and trumpeter Matthias Lindermayr, creates a unique musical world where classical and contemporary music merge with improvised jazz. Their meeting in 2019 led to an intuitive project based on improvisation. In 2023, their innovative approach was recognized with a nomination for the German Jazz Award.
Following their successful debut album Mmmmh, their new album Nozomi (SQUAMA) was released on February 14, 2025, produced by Martin Brugger at Squama Studio in Munich. The album features nine pieces, including a new interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Hibari.
With Nozomi, the duo expands its sonic cosmos and deepens its musical expression. Their harmonic diversity, born from free inspiration, creates a nuanced and unique soundscape.
The album Mmmmh, released in October 2022 by Squama Recordings, was selected as BR　Klassik’s "Jazz Album of the Month" in November 2022. It was also listed among the Top Ten Jazz Albums of the Year 2022 by BR-Klassik and received a nomination for the German Jazz Award 2023. Their live concert Mmmmh & more, part of BR’s concert series Bühne frei im Studio 2, was included in the "Best 4 of 2023" list.

Masako Ohta – Piano & Composition

"Masako Ohta is a poet of the piano." – Münchner Feuilleton

Originally from Tokyo, Masako Ohta is a Japanese pianist, sound performer, and composer active in classical and contemporary music, improvisation, and film scoring.
She was awarded the Music Advancement Prize of the City of Munich in 2019 and won first prize at the Giesinger Culture Award in 2016.
Masako Ohta deeply engages with poetry, sound, and music from Japan, Europe, and other cultures, creating intercultural and interdisciplinary projects and concert series. Since 2021, she has been co-curating the "IMAGINE" festivals in collaboration with PATHOS Theater Munich.
She studied piano in Tokyo and Berlin and attended masterclasses with András Schiff, György Sebök, and György Kurtág.
Discography: Solo piano albums released by Winter & Winter: Poetry Album (2018)
My Japanese Heart (2020)
Live improvisations with Udo Schindler (clarinet): Ohenrosan (2014, DE)
Botenstoffe (Confront Recordings, 2017, UK)
Kaiyushikiteien (2019, PRT)
Music in Space (2020, PRT)
My Japanese Heart was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award in 2020.
Website

Matthias Lindermayr – Trumpet & Composition

Matthias Lindermayr began his musical career in Munich, where he studied trumpet and composition. He later received a full scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music and completed his Master’s degree in Berlin.
Under his own name, he released the albums Lang Tang (2015) and Newborn (2018) on the enja Records label. In 2021 and 2022, he released further solo albums in trio and duo formats with Squama Recordings. As the composer and soloist for his band Fazer, he released the albums Mara (2018), Nadi (2019), and Plex (2022).
In 2012, his quartet won the Biberach Jazz Prize, and in 2013, he received the Kurt Maas Jazz Award. In 2017, he was awarded the soloist prize at the International Jazz Week Burghausen. As a member of the Monika Roscher Big Band, he received the ECHO Jazz Award.
In 2018, he was honored with the "Best Music in a Documentary Film" award at the Max Ophüls Festival for his music in the film Germania. That same year, he received the Bavarian Art Promotion Prize and the Music Advancement Prize of the City of Munich. He has been invited to perform internationally in Canada, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Kurdistan, and Jordan.

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*This concert is sponsored by the Goethe Institute Headquarters.