糸永 衣里 （いとなが えり）
Eri Itonaga – Viola & Violin –
大分県別府市生まれ。ピアノとヴァイオリンを3歳から始める。ヴァイオリンを堀川美穂子、三木妙子、数住岸子(故)、石井志都子、篠崎功子氏らに師事。ヴィオラに転科し東京音楽大学へ入学。兎束俊之、百武由紀氏らに師事。在学中、大坂国際コンクール特別賞、万里の長城杯奨励賞を受賞。2003年、同大学卒業。その後、イタリアのカリアリ国際音楽アカデミーに参加し、ヴィオラ奏法の研鑽を積む。帰国後、ヴィオラによるジャズへのアプローチに興味を持つ。2008年、米国サンフランシスコのスタンフォード大学におけるジャズワークショップに 参加、Victor Linに師事。 2010年、 アジアワールドスカラシップ奨学生として、米国ボストンの Berklee College of Music へ留学。ジャズをMatt Glaser、Rob Thomas、 Darol Angerに師事。アンサンブルを Oscar Stagnaro、Ed Tomassi らに師事する。在学中、Ron Carter、Ivan Lins等、世界的なプレーヤーのサポート共演の機会を得る。2012年、帰国。矢沢永吉、杏里などのサポートや東京国際フォーラム ラフォルジュルネ 2015「渋さ知らズ」公演にゲスト参加する他、 同年4月 埼玉県川越文化芸術振興審議委員にも選ばれる。2017年、ビオラジャズユニットKaramari Notesでファーストアルバム『Pink Blue』をリリース。2021年6月、自己のオリジナル曲を中心としたノン・ジャンルの新ユニット Refracción (レフラクシオン) でアルバム「bermellón」(ベルメリョン)をリリース。いくつかユニットを持つ中、ピアノ田中信正, チェロ穴田貴也も加わった オリジナル,即興メインの異色ヴィオラトリオ spiRit(スピリット)を結成。弦楽即興ユニット 「かすみ弦楽ラボのメンバー」他それぞれ高い評価を得て、都内を中心に独自のジャズ演奏活動も含めて、音楽活動の幅を広げている。
ERI ITONAGA (Viola & Violin)
Eri was born in Oita, Beppu, Japan and started studying piano and violin at the age of 3. Since her early ages, she won a variety of musical awards.
After graduating from the music course at Baiko Jyogakuin High school in Yamaguchi, Japan,she enrolled in Tokyo College of Music in 1999 and switched her principal instrument from violin to viola.
While attending at the college, she was awarded a special prize at the Osaka International Music Competition and an Encouragement Prize at The Great Wall of China International Music Competition in 2002.
After graduating from the college in 2003, she started performing professionally for TV shows, recording sessions, and played with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra,
supporting Boyz II Men, SMAP, and many other Japanese artists.
In 2010, Eri went to US again to enrolled in Berklee College of Music with a scholarship from the Asia World Scholarship Tour.
At Berklee, she studied with Matt Glaser, Rob Tomas, Mimi Rabson, Eugene Friesen, to study Jazz Viola.
She was a member of the Berklee World Strings Orchestra and the Berklee Cotemporary Orchestra,
and had chances to perform under direction of Ivan Lins, Ron Carter, and many other world famous artists.
Since her coming back to Japan in 2012, she has been very active teaching privately and at the music schools besides supporting famous Japanese artists such as Eikichi Yazawa, AKB48, and many others.
In 2015, Eri was appointed for deliberation committee member for the Council for the Promotion of Culture and Arts in Kawagoe city, Saitama.
She was also invited as a guest artist for ” Shibusashirazu” and performed at world renowned festival “LA FOLLE JOURNÉE TOKYO” 2015 and 2016.
In 2017, she released the album ”Pink Blue” with the group called Karamari Notes that features some of her original compositions.
In 2021, Eri formed her non-genre 4-piece band Refracción and released the album”bermellón”. Among others, the newest unique trio is “spiRit” (Nobumasa Tanaka on piano, Takaya Anada on Cello,and herself on Viola) that focused on free improvisation and their original compositions. It is her main activity now.
On the other hand, Eri has been an active member of certified NPO organization Stars Arts since 2024, after participating in an event to support the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Each has received high acclaim and is expanding her musical activities to include her own jazz performance among Tokyo area. (2025. April)