Koichi Makigami is a musician, performer, poet, and improviser-composer. He has been active in a wide range of fields; music, voice expression, poetry, theater. He is also an organizer/producer of events and groups from mid-1970s.
In 1974, Makigami started as a stage actor, and performed at LaMama Theatre in New York City with the underground theater troupe Tokyo Kid Brothers. Then he joined the fringe theatre Lumiere & Son in London, and collaborated with Lindsay Cooper. After returned to Japan, he founded a pop/rock group Hikashu in 1978. Hikashu continues to this day, and celebrated the 46th anniversary this year.
As a voice performer, his range of voice and the ability to express himself is outstanding. Being a long-time practitioner of Siberian throat singing, he won the 1st prize at the international khoomei competition in Tuva in 2017. As a musician, he is a multi-instrumentalist, playing theremin, cornet, shakuhachi, mouth harp, and various ethnic instruments.
Makigami is an acclaimed poet. He published two collections of poetry, and the first one "Shikou No Mousou" (2019) won the Makoto Ooka prize in 2020. In 2000, He co-authored a book about playwright Richard Foreman, and introduced Foreman's work in Japan.
As an event organizer/producer, he has been a co-producer the annual Jazz Art Sengawa in Chofu, Tokyo, since 2008. He also founded the annual Atami Mirai Ongakusai (Atami Future Music Festival) in his hometown Atami, Shizuoka in 2018. He also organized Japan tour of various Siberian artists including Huun Huur Tu, Kongar-ool Ondar, Mongun-ool Ondar, Nadezhda Kuular, Stanislav iliri, Andrei Mongush, Tyva Kyzy, Bolot Bairyshev, and Chirgilchin. He is also the founder of The Japan-Tuva Khoomei Foundation and committed to cultural exchange between Japan and Siberia.
As a performer, he has collaborated with artists including Yuji Takahashi, John Zorn, Meredith Monk, David Moss, Ikue Mori, Phil Minton, Lauren Newton, Carl Stone, Jaap Blonk, Derek Bailey, Jim O'Rourke, Thomas Strønen, and Zeena Perkins.
