Koshiro Takeuchi

Japan

City of residence: New York

Age: 21

“Each violin has its own unique voice and can produce a very wide range of colours—from soft, warm, and sweet sounds to very intense and powerful ones. That expressive range is what makes the violin so fascinating to me.”

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Born in Tokyo, Koshiro began playing the violin at the age of five. “At first, it was more like a hobby. I had always loved music and wanted to try playing an instrument. There happened to be a violin studio near my home, so I decided to give it a try, and that became the beginning of my journey with the violin.” After graduating from the Tokyo College of Music High School, he became a full scholarship student at the Manhattan School of Music (Bachelor of Music) and is also a full scholarship student at the Tokyo College of Music (Artist Diploma), studying with Koichiro Harada, Lucie Robert, and Mayuko Kamio.

In April 2025, Koshiro won First Prize at the inaugural Ion Voicu International Violin Competition. Previously, he won Third Prize at the Long-Thibaud International Music Competition in 2023, and Fifth Prize at the Amici di Paganini Association Award (along with a special prize for Best Contemporary Music Performance), and the Dr. Enrico Costa Memorial Award at the 57^th International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini” in 2023. Other prizes include the IMA Music Award at the Ishikawa Music Academy in 2018 at the age of 13, and First Prize at the Cecilia International Competition in 2016, among others.

In August 2023, Koshiro performed at Suntory Hall in the 80^th Birthday Anniversary Concert for Nobuko Imai, under the baton of Kazuki Yamada, performing with Imai herself and receiving favourable reviews. “I had the great honour of performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with her; it was an incredibly inspiring and joyful experience!”

In 2024, he made his debut performing with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tadaki Otaka. He has also performed with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Garde républicaine, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Koshiro plays on a violin by Francesco Ruggieri.