Tomonori Arai was born in Shibuya, Tokyo. He started his guitar studies at the age of six with his father Kazuo Arai. In 1991, he began to take lessons with Yoshinobu Hara. Tomonori won First Prize at the Junior Guitar Competition, the Student Guitar Competition, and the Spanish Guitar Music Competition. In 1992, he entered Cologne Music University where he received his diploma in 1998. He continued his studies in Aachen and finished his Concert Examination in 2000. During his stay, he also studied with Tadashi Sasaki, Zoran Dukic, and Thomas Muller-Pering. Tomonori has won many prizes at numerous guitar competitions. His recordings include solo CDs, “Abrir” “Castillos de Espana” “Simple Essence,” guitar trio “Harpo Rhythm, and guitar duo “ The Summer Islands ” (Wood note studio, 2011 ) with Gen Matsuda and “ Aqua in Summer Countries ” (2014) with Hitoshi Miyashita. In April 2016 flute and guitar duo album “Beyond the Pyrenees” with Yoshie Ueno was released from Octavia Records. In August of the same year, Arai started to release series of concept albums which sheds light on single composer, so called “One Composer Series.” First of those albums is “Jacques Ibert works for guitar” recorded with Gen Matsuda. From 2013 to 2015 he performed in 12 different regions around Japan with flutist Yoshie Ueno for JELA (The Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association) sponsored charity event “child support charity concert of the world.” Latest CD is“12 Spanish Dances by Granados for 2 Guiatars”with Gen Matsuda in 2017. Arai has held recitals in Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy, Thailand, Nepal, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He is presently teaching in Ueno Gakuen University and the Gendai Guitar Academy.
