Tomoko Akasaka

Tomoko Akasaka started playing the Violin at the age of 5 and entered the high school of the Toho conservatory of music at the age of 15.

After graduating from here she completed studies at the Liszt Academy in Hungary. After her return to Japan she changed-over to Viola and entered the Diploma course of the Toho Conservatory which she completed at the age of 21. Subsequently she studied with Nobuko Imai for whom she worked for as an assistant professor at the Geneva conservatory of music. In addition Ms. Akasaka worked as a guest professor at the conservatory of Neuchatel. Currently she lives in Berlin.

Tomoko Akasaka won numerous prizes, among them the 1st prize at the 12th Japan classical music competition and the 3rd prize at the 53th Munich International music competition. Tomoko Akasaka has performed as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. As a soloist she has appeared with the Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Muenchener Kammerorchester, the Filarmonica banatul
timisoara, the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, the Ensemble Contrechamps and the Japan Chamber orchestra under the baton of conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Heiichiro Oyama, Rüdiger Bohn, Gheorghe Costin, Olivier Cuendet and Günther Herbig.

She has recently given a widely acclaimed series of recitals in Japan, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Germany amongst others. The series of Recitals in Tokyo has been broadcasted by NHK-TV.

Her chamber music partners included Mstislav Rostropovich, Robert Mann, Christoph Poppen, Lukas Hagen, Daniel Hope, Carolin Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Menahem Pressler, Frans Helmerson, Charles Neidich, Maurice Bourgue, and Reiner Honeck, at international music festivals such as Lockenhaus Festival, Saito-Kinen Festival, Olivier Messien Festival, Pablo Casals Festival, Luzern Festival, Zagreb Chamber music festival, Kronberg “Chamber Music Connects the World”, Festival Amadeus, San Francisco Musical days, Schubertiade and others. Tomoko Akasaka has performed at concert venues including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Geneva Victoria Hall and Grand Théâtre, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Berlin, Schloss Elmau, Suntory Hall and Schloss Nymphenburg Munich.

Her recent collaboration with the composer György Kurtág has had a profound influence on her work as a musician. Her future engagements include solo recitals and concertos in Japan, Switzerland, France and Germany as well as chamber music collaborations with Gary Hoffman, Raphael Oleg, Pascal Moraguès, Juliane Banse, Christoph Poppen and others.