CHIBA, Takehiro

 Born in Sendai in 1991, Chiba graduated from the Department of History of Art, Faculty of Letters, the University of Tokyo. During his childhood, he was fascinated by the Electone and enjoyed performing in a wind band. As a university student, he was a member of a big band, a jazz club, and a sumo club in the athletic foundation. After graduation, he began a career as a jazz pianist and won the 6th Kobe Next Jazz Competition, the 35th Asakusa Jazz Contest, and the 5th Chigusa Prize. At present, he performs at jazz clubs and on stage, and appears as a supporting musician at pop concerts.
 He is also a self-taught composer and arranger. He has composed and arranged music for Miku Ito, Ryo Takaiwa, the Tokyo Wind Symphony Orchestra, Ryutaro Makino, Ichiro Mizuki, and Lowland Jazz. He won first prize in the 3rd Fukushima City Yuji Koseki Composition Competition.