Interviews

When did you start learning the violin?

I began playing the violin when I was 3 years old. It seems that due to the fact my brother was learning to play the violin, I said that I also wanted to start, but I don’t really have many memories of that time. Neither parent in our household was inclined to music. I started going to a “Music Class for Children” in Sengawa, Tokyo from the age of 8, and in time I also began to take master classes and other lessons overseas. When in 5th grade of elementary school, I participated in the Academy of the Mozarteum University (Salzberg) and received guidance from Prof. Paul Roczek.

Why did you choose Bartok’s (Violin Concerto) No.2?

I chose to perform Bartok’s Violin Concerto no.2 thanks to a recommendation from Prof. TATSUMI, under whom I am currently studying. I participated in the Music Competition of Japan using the same piece, so I also chose the same for this Competition in the hope to become even more proficient at Bartok. I performed the piece during both the Final Round and Gala Concert the following day, but feel that I had more fun playing it during the Gala Concert. The conductor, Maestro HIROKAMI, showed me such a smile during the performance that I smiled a little myself. My first time to perform together with an orchestra was a year ago in 2021 during the Music Competition of Japan, and I feel that there are few opportunities to perform with a full orchestra.
When I first began to study Bartok, I thought that the piece had a unique use of sound and was difficult to properly grasp, but over time came to be fond of it. Prof. TATSUMI’s advice to me was to not be nervous, to “get into” the music more when playing, and to express my very own music. I think that I was able to properly focus when putting on my performances during this Competition. Winning first prize as a Japanese during this international music competition held in Japan has truly brought me joy.

How was the Sendai International Music Competition and your stay in Sendai?

This was my second time visiting Sendai. My first time was when I came for a concert related to a music class. On this stay, there were some difficult aspects due to the long competition period and staying in a hotel, but I was able to enjoy a nice change of pace thanks to my mother coming along with me and looking up a variety of delicious cuisines in Sendai. When speaking of Sendai of course there is beef tongue, but I also enjoyed some breaded pork cutlet from a restaurant named Endou. I could easily hear everyone else practicing in the hotel and was motivated myself after thinking about how earnest they all were.
The Sendai International Music Competition is my first major international competition. As there are many concertos that must be performed, I practiced while paying close attention to maintaining a uniform quality among the pieces. I had not seriously studied the Mendelssohn concerto that I chose for the Semifinal Round, so it was difficult for me to bring that up to a high level of quality. As for Mozart, as I was incredibly nervous during the actual performance and things didn’t go very well, although I did go on stage after thinking at length about what style of performance would be appropriate for Mozart and listening to his other works.

Is there a piece you would like to perform in the future?

I would like to perform concertos by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky in the future. I haven’t been able to perform much Tchaikovsky before, so I would like to try incorporating his works moving forward. I will be performing recitals as an engagement for winning the competition, although as I haven’t put on many recitals until now and have a limited repertoire, so I don’t yet know what I will be playing. But I think I would like to study Romantic sonatas, by composers such as Brahms for instance.

Please tell us about your own personality and something that you like other than music.

I have positive personality and perhaps my strength is that I don’t overthink things. Even if I experience something negative, I try to think about how that might connect to something good in the future, so I have a forward-facing outlook on things. As for hobbies, I enjoy reading books, particularly many novels by TSUJIMURA Mizuki. And you might call ballet another one of my hobbies as I have continued practicing it from a young age. While often I will spend my days off practicing on the violin, on occasion I also visit cafes as I am a foodie as well.
I will continue with my studies and wish to become a musician who is able to perform a variety of different works.