Risa Takeda (Japan) Meets Friends

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● 9:00pm~11:00pm
Risa Takeda (Japan) Meets Friends

Lineup:

▌Risa Takeda | Keyboards / Synthesizers
▌Minyen Hsieh | Saxophone / Synthesizers
▌Ying-Da Chen | Guitar / Effects
▌Tim DeWit | Drums / Percussion
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Show introduction:

Risa Takeda is a versatile multi-instrumentalist and improviser active in Tokyo. She makes her Taiwan tour debut! At the Sappho show, she will be joined by free-improvisation saxophonist Minyen Hsieh, guitarist Ying-Da Chen and American drummer Tim DeWit, who is currently studying beiguan music and appears in a wide range of projects. The musical sparks between them are impossible to predict—you’ll have to be there to experience them.
Related performer information:
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Musician profiles:

▌Risa Takeda | Keyboards / Synthesizers
Born in Hokkaido, Takeda began studying classical piano at age three and took up jazz drums at 19. She moved to Tokyo in 2011, discovered the joy of improvisation and became deeply fascinated by it.
Since 2014, she has incorporated synthesizers and electronic instruments into her performances, creating a singular musical world. Her sharp intuition is widely praised in the industry; she can precisely summon the sounds a moment calls for. She has performed with masters including Akira Sakata, Seiichi Yamamoto, Mani Neumeier and Tatsuya Nakamura. She also collaborates with musicians in more than 100 improvisation performances each year.
Around 2016, she began composing with digital audio workstations. My Best! Records released her albums Pandora (2018), Metéôros (2019) and Parallel Worlds (2024), all composed, arranged, performed and recorded entirely by Takeda. She continues to pursue her ideal music through both quiet and energetic practice.
In 2024, she completed a tour across eight European countries with Tatsuya Yoshida.

➤ Risa Takeda’s website:
https://www.risatakeda.com
➤ Related interviews:
2018 https://jazztokyo.org/interviews/post-29921/
2024 https://jazztokyo.org/interviews/improviser/post-97318/
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▌Minyen Hsieh | Saxophone / Synthesizers

Do not let his modest manner fool you: Minyen Hsieh is one of the boldest figures in Taiwan’s music scene today. He holds a master’s degree and postgraduate diploma in jazz saxophone performance from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. After returning to Taiwan in summer 2011, he won the 2012 Taichung International Saxophone Competition. Since releasing his debut solo album Firry Path in 2014, he has continued to explore new territory, moving between styles with a chameleon-like ability to find exactly the right sound for each ensemble. He has appeared on more than a dozen jazz albums, earning two Golden Melody Awards and seven Golden Indie Music Awards. He has also contributed to more than 100 works across independent, experimental, film, television and pop music. His cross-disciplinary invitations include performing Xin Chuan at the 2017 Taipei Universiade closing ceremony and taking part in contemporary opera and musical productions such as Tian Zhong Sha (2023) and Winter Journey Before the End of the World (2025).
His latest release is Punctum Visus – Perspective (2025), made with Japanese free-jazz legends Hiroshi Yamazaki, Yoshihide Otomo and others. It has been well received in Taiwan and Japan and received two nominations at the 16th Golden Indie Music Awards. Other collaborative releases from the same year include Melodies, Sounds of Taiwan, Live Without Irony and Hot Mess.
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▌Ying-Da Chen | Guitar / Effects

A guitarist and composer for many years, Chen works across jazz, free improvisation, post-punk, progressive rock, orchestral writing and chamber music. Four of his albums—R.E.M. Moods, Sentimental Animals, Off-Peak Hours and Have You Heard of Beige?—were nominated for Golden Indie Music Awards. He won Best Jazz Single at the 6th awards and Best Jazz Album at the 9th. After graduating from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2012, he returned to Taiwan and became active on the music scene, appearing at the Borneo Jazz Festival, Sapporo Jazz Week, Macau Jazz Week, Taipei and Taichung jazz festivals, Tainan’s Fun Night and National Theater & Concert Hall Summer Jazz. He lived in New York from 2021 to 2024. His latest album, Live Without Irony, was released on October 14, 2025 and named Bandcamp’s best jazz album of the month. His duo Lulu, formed with drummer Zunlong, is also preparing new work.
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▌Tim DeWit (Dutch / German) | Drums / Percussion

Tim is a New York-born music producer, drummer and composer for film, theater and fashion.
He moved to Taiwan in 2017, drawn by the local ritual economy and the sustainability of local culture.
He currently studies and performs beiguan music with the Gong Le Xuan Beiguan Ensemble.