Kazuhito Yamashita, one of the most influential and technically audacious classical guitarists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, has died at the age of 64. His death was announced on 25 January 2026 by the Guitar Foundation of America.
Born in Nagasaki in 1961, Yamashita began studying the guitar at the age of eight with his father, Toru Yamashita, and composer Kojiro Kobune. His precocity was evident early on: by his mid-teens he had already secured major prizes in Japan and Europe, becoming the youngest-ever winner of several leading international guitar competitions, including the Ramón de Algeciras Competition in Spain, Alessandria in Italy, and the Radio France Competition in Paris.
Yamashita rose to international prominence through a combination of fearless virtuosity and an uncompromising expansion of the guitar’s expressive limits. His transcription of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition—recorded in the early 1980s—was a watershed moment for the instrument, astonishing audiences and dividing opinion, but permanently altering perceptions of what solo guitar performance could encompass. Similar boundary-pushing arrangements followed, including works by Stravinsky (The Firebird), Rimsky-Korsakov (Scheherazade), and Dvořák (Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”).
Across a recording career that spanned more than four decades, Yamashita released over 80 albums, covering an exceptionally wide repertoire: from Bach’s sonatas, partitas, and suites—transcribed by Yamashita himself—to the complete guitar works of Fernando Sor, major works by Villa-Lobos, and concertos by Castelnuovo-Tedesco. His recordings appeared on labels including RCA/BMG, Sony, JVC, King Records, and Crown Classics. His Pictures at an Exhibition recording received the Deutsches Grammophon Award, further cementing his international reputation.
As a performer, Yamashita appeared at major concert halls around the world, including Vienna’s Musikverein, New York’s Lincoln Center, and leading venues across Europe, Asia, and North America. He collaborated with prominent conductors and orchestras, and with musicians such as flautist James Galway, bassist Gary Karr, and recorder player Michala Petri. A committed advocate for contemporary music, he gave the world premieres of more than 60 new works for guitar, including numerous compositions by his wife, composer Keiko Fujiie.
In later years, Yamashita increasingly focused on chamber music and family projects. The Kazuhito Yamashita Family Guitar ensemble—formed with his children—performed internationally and reflected his belief in the guitar as both a virtuosic and intimate instrument, rooted in tradition but open to renewal.
Yamashita’s legacy lies not only in his prodigious technique, but in his radical reimagining of the guitar’s place within classical music. Through discipline, originality, and a willingness to court controversy, he expanded the instrument’s repertoire and inspired generations of performers to rethink its possibilities.
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