Izumi Masuda

	Date of Birth:	December 17, 1978 (Tokyo)
	Active From:	1999
	Education:	Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music
	Voice:	Soprano
	Related Projects:	Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia

Biography

Note: This biography was written exclusively for Square Enix Music Online by Nick. The act of copying it without advance written permission is regarded as a copyright infringement. It was last updated on June 4, 2006.

Born on December 17, 1978 in Tokyo, Izumi Masuda was to lead a life flourishing with musical talent. Izumi studied an undergraduate Vocal Performance course and graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo before going on to achieve a Master's degree in Opera at the same College. While studying there, Izumi entered various singing competitions where she impressed the judges to a remarkable extent and as a result received several awards. She became known to various music labels by performing a range of key classical pieces like "Le nozze di Figaro", "Symphony No.9 Choral" and Fauré's "Messe de Requiem", all of which received critical acclaim.

Her early performances naturally put Izumi on the map and, as a result of her hardwork and rare talent, she was appointed as a fellowship artist by the Japanese Government Overseas Opera Study Programme for Artists in 1997. This allowed her to add to her already solid musical education by studying in New York where she took vocal lessons with Daniel Fellow, a renowned professor of the Juilliard School of Music. To top it off Izumi also attended drama lessons at Hunter College. Of course, all of this experience in the world of music at home and abroad led her to discover the vast possibilities of music in pop and opera. After her study she returned to Japan and performed as a prima in the popular and critically acclaimed "Candide," produced by Amon Miyamoto.

In 2002 Izumi was asked by the producers of the NHK Drama, "Musashi", to perform the opening song to which she accepted with joy. To complete this request she commissioned the Italian film composer Ennio Morricone to composer, arrange, and write her the song entitled "La Sua Donna". The drama increased in popularity and as a result attracted the attention of the public and record label JVCMusic. The following year she finally released the solo album Heal My Heart which was received tremendously. After a number of public appearances and sold out concerts, a song featured in the album entitled "Heal My Hearts" was chosen as a key theme song for the popular movie Quill.

After the success of her first album, Izumi released her second album on October 21, 2004, Red Swan. It featured a number of popular arrangements of classic themes, including "Ave Maria," which she performed with beautifully. Izumi began touring Japan once again performing at various concert halls and even participated in a play. On October 21, 2005, Izumi released her long awaited third album, Romeo & Juliet, which featured a key arrangement of Beethoven's "Pathétique", titled "Beethoven's love". The album also featured arrangements of various compositions from great composers like Fryderyk Chopin, Giulio Caccini, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. What made this album even more popular was the inclusion of "Distant Worlds," the ending theme for Square Enix's MMORPG add-on, Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia.

"Distant Worlds" was well-received, both in its album form and at its premiere at August 2005's Final Fantasy XI Summer Festival. An adaptation of Nobuo Uematsu's "Memoro de la S^tono" arranged by Naoshi Mizuta, the delicate instrumentals and rich melodies are supportive features of a theme that principally stands out for Izumi's voice; filled with sheer power, she truly put her heart into the performance and the end result is nothing short of beautiful. Masuda attended the VOICES - Music from Final Fantasy concert to perform "Distant Worlds" at the Pacifico Yokohama National Universities Hall, performing the magical composition alongside the Prima Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Arnie Roth. She is now attending various public events and performs concerts regularly.

List of Songs for Related Projects

List of Covered Albums