Kitaro

Born:: February 4, 1953, he's 59 and Japanese.
Birthname:: We're not sure - tell us?
Snapshot:: An Artist with 87 releases, and a member of 1 group. 2 collaborations.

Kitaro is universally acknowledged as the founding architect of new age music. The Grammy and Golden Globe Award-Winning Kitaro has achieved global acclaim over a more than three decade long career with a signature sound and a pioneering fusion of cultures, techniques and spheres of consciousness that are truly his own.

Kitaro's latest project, Impressions of the West Lake is a modern day opera conceived and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower). The production is highlighted by music composed by Kitaro.

Impressions of the West Lake represents the latest artistic success in the long, storied career of Kitaro. In 2010, the soundtrack album “Impressions of The West Lake” was nominated for 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, and it was Kitaro’s 13th nomination to date.

As a Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning artist, this incredibly prolific composer and performer has continued his reign in the international spotlight and at the forefront of musical innovation ever since the release of his debut solo album, Astral Voyage, in 1978. His numerous recording highlights include 1980's Volume 1 in the revered Silk Road series which is considered an all-time masterpiece with subsequent volumes only adding to its luster, 1987's The Light of the Spirit (a collaboration with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Kitaro's American breakthrough), 2000’s Thinking Of You, which won a Grammy for Best New Age Album, as well as Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, a multi-volume series of albums inspired by the tragedy of 9/11. Kitaro garnered a Grammy Nomination for all series of Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai to date.

He embarked on his Love and Peace Planet Music Tour in 2007, a tour that took Kitaro to the four corners of the globe, shining the spotlight of his musical message on audiences as he inspires fans from around the globe to unite as one.

Through the course of his career, Kitaro has sold millions of albums, CDs and DVDs worldwide. At its heart, Kitaro's music is always about sending a profound message of peace and spiritual development, both personally and globally.