Akira Nishimura (1953, Osaka, Japan) studied composition and musical theory at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music from 1973 until 1980. While at the university, he also studied Asiatic traditional Music, religion, esthetics, cosmology, and the heterophonic concept, etc., all of which has had a lasting influence on his music to the present day.

He won numerous prizes, including the Fiest Composition Prize at The Japan Music Competition (1974), Grand Prix for composition at the Queen Elisabeth International Composition Competition (1977), Luigi Dallapiccola Composition Award (1977), Otaka Prize (1988, 1992, 1993 and 2008), Kenzo Nakajima Award (1990), Kyoto Music Prize, “Practical Selection” (1991), Japan Contemporary ArtsPromotion Prize (1994), Exxon Mobil Music Award (2001), Bekku Music Award (2002), Suntory Music Award (2005), Mainichi Art Prize (2005) and Music Pen Club Award (2008).

He was composer in Residence of the Orchestra-Ensemble Kanazawa under Music Director Hiroyuki Iwaki (1993-1994) and of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1994-1997). Recently, many overseas’ music festivals and performing organisations have commissioned works by Akira Nishimura, such as ULTIMA Contemporary Music Festival, Oslo, Octobre en Normandie, Rouen, Arditti String Quartet, Kronos String Quartet, ELISION ensemble, Hannover Society of Contemporary Music, Wurttenberg PhilharmonieReutlingen, Radio France etc. His pieces have been performed at WIEN MODERN, Vienna, Warsaw Autumn, Warsaw MUSICA, Strasbourg, Brisbane Festival of Music, Brisbane.

In 2002, the CD entitled “Avian-Arditti String Quartet plays Akira Nishimura” released by Camerata Tokyo received the National Arts Festival Grand Prize. Akira Nishimura is now a professor at the Tokyo College of Music and music director of Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka.