Teiji Ito (伊藤貞司) was a Japanese-born American composer and performer. He is best known for his scores for the avant-garde films by Maya Deren.

Early life

Ito was born in Tokyo, Japan to a theatrical family. His mother, Teiko Ono, was a dancer and his father, Yuji Ito, was a designer and composer. His younger brother Teimoc Johnston-Ono is an Olympic judoka. His family moved to the United States when he was six. Ito accompanied his mother's dance performance at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; he performed for both Japanese and Korean dance. At 15, he ran away from home. He began to compose at age 17. He met Maya Deren during this time and in 1955, traveled with her to Haiti. There, Ito studied under a master drummer. Ito would also compose the score for Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon at Deren's request. Ito married Deren in 1960 and remained married to her until her death on October 13, 1961. The Japanese American actor Jerry Ito (1927–2007) was Teiji Ito's first cousin.

Career

Ito won an Obie Award for his scores during the 1960-1961 off-Broadway season; the productions included Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities, King Ubu, and Three Modern Japanese Plays. In 1963, he composed the score for the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ito wrote Watermill which was first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1971. Ito also performed and composed for Jean Erdman's Theater of the Open Eye. Ito and his fourth wife, Cherel, edited Deren's 1947-1951 footage she shot while in Haiti; this would result in the documentary Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti.

Death

While in Haiti, Ito died of a heart attack in 1982.

Discography