Kawamoto Yoshiko

Kawamoto Yoshiko won the highest prize (second place with no first place winner) in the viola division of the Geneva International Music Competition in 1992. She received the Muramatsu Award in 1996. In 1997 Kawamoto won the 7th Nippon Steel Corporation Fresh Artists Award. In 2015 she received Tonen General Music Awards Encouragement Prize. Kawamoto is a member of Kyoto Alti String Quartet and of AOI Residence Quartet. She has participated in numerous music festivals, such as Tanglewood, Marlboro, Davos, and Beppu Argerich Music Festival. Kawamoto has regularly joined the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy and the Mito Chamber Orchestra. She has also enjoyed high acclaim as soloist and has performed with prestigious conductors including Gary Bertini and Jean Fournet. Kawamoto served as principal violist in the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra from 1999 to 2002. From 2017 to 2021, she served as the principal guest violist in the NHK Symphony Orchestra. At the Ozawa Music Academy and the Aichi Chamber Orchestra, Kawamoto has been actively engaging in the development of younger musicians as an advisor for string instruments. She is always active at the forefront as one of Japan’s leading viola players, captivating audiences with her exceptional expressiveness and technique.
Kawamoto is a resident artist of Shiiki presents Argerich’s Haus.