The National Arts Centre Orchestra confirms Yosuke Kawasaki as tenured Concertmaster

OTTAWA, November 3, 2009 ’Äî The National Arts Centre Music Department is very pleased to announce that on Friday, October 30, 2009 the Concertmaster Audition Committee voted to award violinist Yosuke Kawasaki tenure in the position of Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, said "I was extremely overjoyed by Yosuke Kawasaki's tenured appointment to Concertmaster. The leadership he has demonstrated, along with his incredible sound, have already produced tremendous changes in the orchestra. In addition to his musicianship, his work ethic is second to none, and he is simply a superb human being. NACO is delighted to have such a wonderful person as its concertmaster, and Canada is very lucky to have such an extraordinary musician representing the country."

Violinist Yosuke Kawasaki was originally named concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in June 2007.

BIOGRAPHY

Violinist Yosuke Kawasaki was named concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in June 2007.. He is also Principal Guest Concertmaster of the Century Orchestra Osaka, and Concertmaster of the Mito Chamber Orchestra and Saito Kinen Orchestra in Japan, both under the direction of Seiji Ozawa. He began his professional orchestral career as Concertmaster of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Kawasaki has toured extensively as a chamber musician in North and South America, Europe and Japan. He is a founding member of the D'Amici String Quartet along with world renowned musicians Federico Agostini, James Creitz and Sadao Harada. Mr. Kawasaki is also a founding member of Trio+, a piano trio with pianist Vadim Serebryany and cellist Wolfram Koessel that made its Japan debut at Suntory Hall performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto. Mr. Kawasaki's upcoming projects include solo engagements with Mito Chamber Orchestra and Singapore National Youth Orchestra as well as live chamber music recordings of works by Mozart and Schumann. His most recent recordings include chamber works by Beethoven and Mozart on the TDK Core Label. He has also recorded Bach's Double Concerto and the Complete Brandenburg Concertos with Walter van Hauwe and the Saito Kinen Chamber Players, both on the King Label. Mr. Kawasaki began his violin studies at the age of six with his father Masao Kawasaki and continued with Setsu Goto. At the age of ten he was accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division. He then continued his education and graduated from The Juilliard School in 1998 under the tutorship of Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Felix Galimir and Joel Smirnoff.