Fugue Music Academy:
Karuizawa has long attracted visitors with its natural beauty, quiet atmosphere, and deep connection to the arts. For pianist Junko Shioda, it is an ideal place to step away from daily life and focus deeply on artistic work. After returning to Karuizawa many times herself, she founded Fugue Music Academy there in 2023.
The academy takes its name from the fugue, a musical form that plays an important role in Beautiful Village, the novel by the renowned Japanese writer Tatsuo Hori. The form also shapes the structure of the novel itself. Hori came to Karuizawa several times to write, and the local literary museum still commemorates his stays there today. Inspired by his interest in the relationship between literature and music, Fugue Music Academy aims to create a place where people can deepen not only their understanding of music, but also their engagement with art more broadly and their relationship to the world.
Fugue Music Academy has taken place every two years since 2024.
Concept of Fugue Music Academy
Fugue Music Academy is more than an instrumental masterclass. Alongside high-level musical instruction, the academy offers time and space to think more deeply about music, culture, and the wider questions that shape an artist’s life. Question-and-answer sessions and open discussions with the guest professors are an important part of the program. These conversations create room for the kind of reflection and exchange that can easily be lost in the pace of formal musical training. The academy’s warm, personal atmosphere — including shared meals — helps make deeper learning possible.
Prof. Ulrich Hermann, Bassoon
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Hermann began piano lessons at the age of seven and took up the bassoon at eighteen. He studied at the University of Music in Stuttgart, graduating with highest distinction in 1994. In 1995, he began his professional career as principal bassoonist of the Stuttgart State Opera Orchestra.
Hermann has appeared throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He has been a member of several distinguished chamber ensembles, including Ensemble Arabesques, the Stuttgart Wind Soloists, and the Württemberg Wind Quintet, and has made numerous recordings for CD, radio, and television.
Instructions for registration
Academy Dates
August 31 – September 8, 2026
Venues
- Karuizawa MARUWA Academy Hills
Lesson venue - Karuizawa Ohga Hall
Prof. Ulrich Hermann’s solo recital, September 4 - Karuizawa Wakita Museum of Art
Students’ final concert, September 7
Eligibility
- Applicants must be studying bassoon as their principal instrument.
- Applicants must be available for the full academy period.
- There is no age limit.
Course Content
Students will receive:
- Four private lessons with Prof. Hermann
- Reed-making instruction
- Ensemble and group sessions focusing on fundamentals
- Two sessions on orchestral excerpts and audition preparation
- Mental training
- Rehearsals with pian
Students are welcome to observe one another’s lessons. Public auditing will be offered only on selected dates and with limited seating.
Japanese-language interpretation will be provided for all lessons.
Accommodations
Students will stay at MARUWA Academy Hills in Karuizawa. Rooms will be shared by two to three students, depending on gender and the final number of students.
Course Fee
190,000 JPY. The course fee includes tuition, concert tickets, and facility fees.
- Meals are charged separately at 1,200 JPY per day, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals will be provided at MARUWA Academy Hills.
- Students are responsible for their own travel expenses to and from Karuizawa.
Application
Applications open on April 15, 2026.
Applications must be submitted through the online application form.
Audition
- Applicants must submit a video or audio recording of a piece of their choice. Recordings should be no longer than five minutes.
Prof. Ulrich Hermann will personally select 10–12 students. - Please upload your recording to YouTube and include the link in the application form. The recording must have been made within the past year.
- For questions, please contact the academy office using the information below.
Application Deadline
Monday, June 15, 2026
Notification of Results
Results will be sent by email by mid-July
Cancellation Policy After an applicant has been accepted and the course fee has been paid, cancellations are generally not accepted.
Concert Location (September 4th)
Concert Location (September 7th)
Schedule
Monday, August 31
Arrival in Karuizawa
Students will gather at MARUWA Academy Hills in the afternoon for introductions and a welcome meeting with Prof. Hermann.
Tuesday, September 1 — Lessons
Wednesday, September 2 — Lessons
Thursday, September 3 — Lessons
Friday, September 4 — Morning lessons
Friday, September 4 — 6:00 p.m.
Bassoon Solo Recital by Ulrich Hermann
Venue: Karuizawa Ohga Hall
Saturday, September 5 — Lessons
Sunday, September 6 — Lessons
Monday, September 7 — Morning lessons
Monday, September 7, 3:00 p.m.
Students’ Final Concert with Ulrich Hermann
Venue: Karuizawa Wakita Museum of Art
The academy concludes with a final concert at the Wakita Museum of Art. Students will perform works prepared during the masterclass, and Prof. Hermann will also take part in the concert.
Tuesday, September 8
Departure after breakfast
Concerts
September 4, 2026
- Karuizawa Ohga Hall
- 6:00 p.m.
September 7, 2026
- Karuizawa Wakita Museum of Art
- 3:00 p.m.
