Uxia Martinez-Botana
Selected by international critics as one of the world’s leading double bass players, Uxía Martínez Botana stands at the forefront of a new generation of artists redefining the expressive and artistic possibilities of her instrument, combining exceptional virtuosity with a singular musical voice. At the age of 23, she was appointed principal double bass of the Grammy Award–winning Kremerata Baltica under the direction of Gidon Kremer, performing alongside Martha Argerich, Emmanuel Pahud, Khatia Buniatishvili, Daniel Barenboim, Mario Brunello, Mikhail Pletnev and Heinrich Schiff. She subsequently held principal positions with the Weinberger Kammerorchester Zürich under Gábor Takács-Nagy and the Brussels Philharmonic (until 2020), and has been Principal Double Bass and Bass Soloist of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019, where she appears regularly as a featured soloist. Her orchestral collaborations include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, and Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer, as well as guest principal appearances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Belgian National Orchestra. As a soloist, Uxía Martínez Botana has established a distinctive international presence, combining expressive depth with exceptional technical command. She made her debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the New European Ensemble, and her solo debut at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in 2025. She has since appeared with the Symphony Orchestra of Galicia under Dima Slobodeniouk, the Czech Philharmonic, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra in Budapest, and the Stellenbosch Chamber Orchestra. She has also appeared as a soloist at the Solsberg Festival, curated by Sol Gabetta, performing alongside Veronika Eberle, Timothy Ridout and Vilde Frang, among others. At the forefront of a new generation of artists redefining the possibilities of her instrument, Uxía Martínez Botana is deeply engaged in shaping the contemporary voice of the double bass. At the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, she appeared alongside Anastasia Kobekina and Fazıl Say in the premiere of a trio that gave rise to the Immigrants project—an artistic reflection on identity, displacement, and cultural memory. In the same context, she introduced Night Walk, Fazıl Say’s Sonata for Double Bass, and premiered Sedna by Patricia Kopatchinskaja at Gstaad. She also took part in a tribute to Schubert at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, performing alongside Bertrand Chamayou, Alina Ibragimova, Lawrence Power and Sol Gabetta. Through these collaborations, she emerges as a singular artistic presence, where virtuosity meets vision and the double bass becomes a vehicle for new narratives. As a chamber musician, she performs regularly with artists including Maxim Vengerov, Julia Fischer, Yuri Bashmet, András Schiff, Christian Tetzlaff, Tabea Zimmermann, Mischa Maisky and Sol Gabetta. She is also a member of the Between Worlds Ensemble led by Avi Avital, with whom she recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. Her discography reflects both versatility and artistic vision. In 2025, she signed with Outhere Music (Fuga Libera), releasing her debut album Mendelssohn X Files, awarded “Best Recording of the Month” (November 2025) by Scherzo. In the same year, she recorded works by Lise Cristiani with Sony Classical alongside Sol Gabetta. She appears regularly at leading international festivals, including the Gergiev Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Spannungen Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and the Kronberg Academy, reflecting her strong presence across Europe’s most distinguished musical platforms. She performs on exceptional historic instruments, entrusted to her by leading international foundations and patrons. In 2025, she was entrusted with the only known Montagnana double bass, generously loaned by J & A Beare in London. She also performs on The English Lady (c.1800), generously loaned by the Dutch National Musical Instrument Foundation, as well as a Ludwig Neuner (1854) on private loan. Alongside her performing career, she is Professor of Double Bass at ESMUC in Barcelona and a regular guest professor at the Barenboim-Said Foundation. In 2021, she joined the Stauffer Center for Strings in Cremona, collaborating with artists including Sol Gabetta, Michael Barenboim, Lisa Batiashvili, Daniel Hope, Julian Rachlin and Steven Isserlis. At the intersection of tradition and innovation, Uxía Martínez Botana transforms the double bass into a voice of new artistic expression, shaping its future on the world’s most important stages.
Emmanuel Coppey
A City Music Foundation artist, Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel Artiste en Résidence, Frankfurt Ensemble Modern Academy and London Contemporary soloists member, London based French violinist Emmanuel Coppey is building a solid concert career. As a soloist, he collaborated with Emmanuel Vuillaume, Jérémie Rhorer, Vahan Mardirossian, Rachel Podger, Alexei Ogrintchouk, Guy van Waas and Christopher Warren-Green, and he appeared on Belgian national television for the royal christmas concert playing Vivaldi Four Seasons. A sought-after chamber musician, Emmanuel played with Nelson Goerner, Marc Coppey, Augustin Dumay, Anna Vinitskaya, Barbara Hannigan, Nicolas Baldeyrou, François Salque, Guillaume Bellom, Martin Beaver, Bertrand Chamayou, Frank Braley, in major European chamber music festivals. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music and includes all Bach Sonatas and Partitas with which he won the 2023 Bach Barbash Competition. As an arranger, he also wrote a show-piece based on Dukas Apprenti Sorcier. Emmanuel received the guidance of violinists György Pauk and Augustin Dumay. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and Paris Conservatory where he studied with Philippe Graffin and Svetlin Roussev. His musical journey began with Larissa Kolos. Emmanuel was supported by the Royal Academy of Music, Adami, Fondation de la Vocation and Fondation Banque Populaire. Since July 2024, Emmanuel is Artist in Residence at the Singer-Polignac Fondation. He plays a magnificent Guarnerius violin from 1735, from the Guttman Collection.
Henri Demarquette
“An enthusiastic musician with a multi-faceted personality, Henri Demarquette plays the cello as if setting a deep forest ablaze; not a single stroke of his bow leaves the listener indifferent because he awakens music’s subconscious” O. Bellamy (Le Monde de la Musique) As a young, brilliant musician Henri Demarquette attended the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique in Paris at the age of thirteen and studied with Philippe Muller and Maurice Gendron. His talent was quickly noticed and he was unanimously awarded the Conservatoire’s first prize which lead him to work with Pierre Fournier and Paul Tortelier in Paris, and Janos Starker in Bloomington, USA. Already familiar with the stage, Demarquette made his concert debut at seventeen in a recital at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He caught the attention of Lord Yehudi Menuhin, who invited him to play Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with him in Prague and Paris. His career then took an international turn and he was invited to perform across the world with some of the greatest French and international orchestras: most recently Orchestre National de France, London Philharmonic, Weiner KammerOrchester, Ensemble Orchestral De Paris, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Sinfonia Varsovia, and Neue Philharmonie Westfalen. He also appeared with his favourite piano-partners Boris Berezovsky, Michel Dalberto, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Fabrizio Chiovetta and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger. In 2015 he co-founded a string quartet with Augustin Dumay, Svetlin Roussev, and Miguel da Silva. Extremely creative and passionate, Henri Demarquette is involved in many parallel projects. In 2014 he performed in an eclectic programme with music from Bach to Galliano in a duet with the French accordionist Richard Galliano, and premiered Contrastes for accordion, cello and orchestra with Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. That same year, together with L’Ensemble Vocal Sequenza 9.3., he created “Vocello”, an original ensemble for cello and a cappella choir conducted by Catherine Simonpietri. Henri Demarquette teaches at Ecole Normale de Musique Cortot in Paris. He plays a Goffredo Cappa cello dated 1700.
Victor Demarquette
Victor Demarquette began playing piano at the age of six with Rena Shereshevskaya at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, and in 2024 he earned his Artist Diploma. He now studies with Claudio Martinez-Mehner. For several years, he has also received regular guidance from Jean-Bernard Pommier, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Robert Levin, and Elisabeth Leonskaja. He recently participated in chamber music masterclasses with Renaud Capuçon and Gábor Takács-Nagy at the renowned International Menuhin Music Academy in Rolle. Victor Demarquette made his debut performing Beethoven's First Piano Concerto with the Taverny Orchestral Ensemble in 2019 and gave his first recital in Marseille in 2022 as part of a tribute to Nicholas Angelich. Since then, he has performed regularly as a soloist and chamber musician on prestigious stages – the Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence, the Martha Argerich Festival in Hamburg, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Musikfest, the Septembre Musical de l'Orne, the Vézère Festival, the Chopin Festival in Paris, and in the Rosey Concert Hall and Salle Cortot concert series. A dedicated chamber musician, he shares the stage with leading musicians of his generation such as Marc Tchalik, Bohdan Luts, Cyprien Lengagne, Paul Zientara, and Kerson Leong. He performs regularly with his father, Henri Demarquette, and together they founded the La Feuillie Classic chamber music festival in 2025.
Natalie Dessay
Internationally renowned, Natalie Dessay (without an "h", a discreet tribute to Natalie Wood) began her career in the coloratura soprano repertoire (The Queen of the Night, Lakmé, Zerbinetta, Olympia...). Over the years, the artist expanded her repertoire to include bel canto heroines while continuing to champion the French repertoire. She performed her first Lucia at the Chicago Opera, followed by La Sonnambula at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She sang Ophélie (Hamlet) at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, and it was in this role that she made her debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. She reprised the role of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Paris Opera and the Met, where she achieved immense success. Natalie Dessay then performed the role of Manon for the first time—a role she particularly cherishes—in Geneva and Barcelona. After appearing as Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) at the Met and Marie (La Fille du Régiment) in an unforgettable production in London, Vienna, and New York, Natalie Dessay played the role of Mélisande at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. This was followed by her first Traviata at the Santa Fe Festival. Natalie Dessay subsequently reprised the role of Violetta in Japan during a tour with the Teatro Regio di Torino, as well as at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, to great acclaim. She reprised Marie (La Fille du Régiment) at the Paris Opera and portrayed Manon at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. Her meeting with Emmanuelle Haïm led her to explore the works of Handel, among others. She performed Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) at the Paris Opera. Natalie Dessay regularly collaborates with Michel Legrand, performing in Europe and South America, and recording two albums: "Entre elle et lui" (Erato) and "Between Yesterday and Tomorrow" (Sony). With her recital pianist Philippe Cassard, she has given around sixty concerts since 2012 on the most prestigious stages: Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Barbican in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, with an upcoming appearance at the Vienna State Opera. This collaboration has resulted in three CDs: "Debussy" (Erato), "Fiançailles pour rire" (Erato), and "Schubert" (Sony). She is the first French opera singer to be named Kammersängerin by the Vienna State Opera. In recent years, Natalie Dessay has also turned to the theater. She made her debut, to unanimous critical acclaim, in Und, a monologue by Howard Barker, at the Théâtre Olympia in Tours, later performed in several French cities as well as the Théâtre des Abbesses, the Athénée, and the Dejazet in Paris. In July 2018, she was a guest at the Avignon Festival for "Certaines n'avaient jamais vu la mer" (based on Julie Otsuka's novel "The Buddha in the Attic"), adapted by Richard Brunel. She is currently performing in Stefan Zweig's play "Legend of a Life" at the Théâtre Montparnasse alongside Macha Méril, Bernard Alane, Gaël Giraudeau, and Valentine Galey, directed by Christophe Lidon. Natalie Dessay is also a narrator and voice actress for animated films (Rio 2, Dilili in Paris).
Shani Diluka
Born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents, described as an "extraordinary" performer (Le Figaro), possessing "swooping virtuosity" (Classica), "one of the greats of her generation" (Piano Magazine), who "masters the art of music" (Süddeutsche Zeitung), Shani Diluka is a graduate of the Paris Conservatory (with a unanimous First Prize and a postgraduate diploma in solo performance) and the International Piano Academy of Lake Como, presided over by Martha Argerich. A guest soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Royal Swedish Symphony Orchestra, the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in Japan, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, she collaborates with renowned conductors such as Gábor Takács-Nagy, Ben Glassberg, and Lawrence Foster. A frequent guest of major concert halls, Shani Diluka has performed in recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Sala de São Paulo, the Auditorium de Radio France, and in Tokyo, where she opened La Folle Journée, closed the Verbier Festival. She has also performed at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, La Roque d'Anthéron, the Philharmonie de Paris, and Wigmore Hall. Her career has been enriched by prestigious collaborations with artists such as Natalie Dessay and Michel Portal. She has collaborated with composers such as G. Kurtág, W. Rhim, K. Beffa, and B. Mantovani, for whom she premiered Five Pieces in homage to Paul Klee, as well as with actors like Sophie Marceau, Gérard Depardieu, and Charles Berling. A passionate chamber musician, Shani is also a regular partner of renowned ensembles such as the Ébène, Ysaÿe, Modigliani, and Belcea Quartets. Shani Diluka bridges East and West and represents an innovative vision of music through original projects such as "Cosmos," exploring Beethoven and India, and "Road 66," while also passing on the legacy she received from great masters such as Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, Murray Perahia, Valentin Erben of the Alban Berg Quartet (with whom she recorded the complete Beethoven works), and Elisabeth Leonskaja, with whom she has been studying in recent years. Her recordings of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Grieg, C.P.E. Bach, and Mozart have garnered numerous awards (Choc de la Musique, RTL d’Or, Choix d’Arte, Mezzo, 4F Télérama, Vogue Japan, 5 Diapasons, Gramophone, Fanfare USA, Diapason, Musikzen, Arena Award Japan, etc.). In 2019, she joined the Warner Classics/Erato label with her album "Cosmos." In 2021, she released her album "Proust," focusing on In Search of Lost Time and the golden age of French music. Her 2023 album "Pulse," exploring American minimalist music, received international critical acclaim. Her next album, "Renaissance," will be released in spring 2025 by Warner-Erato. In 2024-2025, Shani Diluka performed at venues including the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Avignon Orchestra. She also toured in France, Europe, and Japan. Shani Diluka is a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and a Knight of the Order of Cultural Merit in Monaco. She teaches piano and chamber music at the Rainier III Academy in Monaco.
Gabriel Durliat
Born in 2001, Gabriel Durliat is one of the most brilliant and complete musicians of his generation. Winner of the Concours Général des lycées (1st Prize in music history), he entered the Paris Conservatoire the same year, at the age of 16, where he studied with Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Thierry Escaich, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger and Guillaume Connesson. He was awarded the Piano, Harmony, Piano Accompaniment and Orchestration Prizes - unanimously with congratulations from the jury - as well as the Counterpoint and Fugue Prizes. In September 2022, he was admitted to the Artist Diploma program while continuing his studies with Cédric Tiberghien at the Académie Jaroussky. In June 2022, Gabriel Durliat was one of six musicians selected to study at the Malko International Academy for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, organized by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Here he benefits from the guidance of leading conductors such as Fabio Luisi, Herbert Blomstedt or Johannes Schlaefli. In October 2023, he was assistant conductor of the Ensemble Intercontemporain for a production of Gérard Grisey's Espaces Acoustiques at the Philharmonie de Paris. After becoming the first Frenchman to win the international Piano Campus competition in February 2022, in May 2023 Gabriel Durliat won 2nd prize at the Hans von Bülow International Conducting from the Piano Competition in Meiningen (Germany), a rare competition devoted to conducting from the piano. Gabriel Durliat performs regularly with orchestra, in recital and chamber music, and is invited to participate in prestigious events such as the Festival International de Piano de la Roque d'Anthéron, the Festival d'Auvers-sur-Oise, the Festival de Deauville, the Journées Ravel of Montfort-l'Amaury... His first solo CD, combining the music of Bach and Fauré, will be released in 2024 on the Scala Music label. Gabriel is represented by International Artists Management.
Mathieu Guignier
Born in 2002 to two musician parents, Mathieu began playing the violin at the age of five. Initially trained by José Alvarez and his father, Cyril Guignier, at the Aulnay-sous-Bois Conservatory, he was admitted to the Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP) at age 16 by a unanimous jury vote, studying in the classes of Roland Daugareil, Christophe Poiget, and Ji Yoon Park. He earned his Master’s degree there in 2024 with unanimous honors and the jury's highest commendations. A chamber music enthusiast, he participated in ProQuartet sessions from 2015 to 2017. After studying in a string quartet from 2022 to 2025 under Luc-Marie Aguera at the CRR de Paris, he formed the Trio Reflets with his brother Gabriel Guignier and Michelle Jia Yun Xu. They will begin a Master’s degree in chamber music at the CNSMDP in September 2026. He performs at prestigious festivals and academies such as the Kronberg Academy with Kolja Blacher, the La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival, Les Lumières d’Europe, and Les Pianissimes. These experiences have allowed him to work alongside renowned musicians such as Hilary Hahn, David Grimal, Olivier Charlier, Suzanne Gessner, Lise Berthaud, Claire Désert, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlana Makarova, Sophia Jaffé, and the Trio Wanderer. Since 2013, he has performed regularly as a soloist. He was also selected to participate in the television show "Prodiges," which led to performances accompanied by the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse at the Théâtre d’Albi and the Orchestre National de Lille at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille. His passion for orchestral music has led him to collaborate with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (as an academician in 2023-2024), the Orchestre de Paris, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the ONDIF, and Les Dissonances, performing in venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, the Maison de la Radio, and the Cité de la Musique.
Héloïse Houzé
Born in 2001, French violist Héloïse graduated from the Paris Conservatory (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris) in the class of Jean Sulem, with highest honors. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel with Miguel da Silva and a member of the Elite Program at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with Gérard Caussé. She won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Oskar Nedbal International Competition in Prague in 2023 and the Grand Prix Ravel in 2024. She has also distinguished herself at the Prague Spring, A. Rubinstein, and Brahms Competitions. As a soloist, she is a frequent guest of several European orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris and the Belgian National Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, she collaborates with artists such as Cédric Tiberghien, Stéphane Degout, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Sir George Benjamin. Her first solo album will be released by Mirare in the fall of 2026.
Laurent Naouri
After his studies in London, Laurent Naouri was quickly invited to perform at numerous international venues. His repertoire includes some forty roles, ranging from early Baroque to contemporary operas. Several performances have marked his career: the four devils in The Tales of Hoffmann in Madrid, Orange, Milan, Barcelona, New York, and Aix-en-Provence; Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, in Glasgow, Salzburg, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and most recently in Aix-en-Provence; Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro) in Aix-en-Provence and Tokyo; the title role of Falstaff in Lyon, Santa Fe, and Glyndebourne; Sharpless (Madame Butterfly) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; and Germont (La Traviata) in Santa Fe, Tokyo, Dallas, and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. He has performed the role of Fieramosca (Benvenuto Cellini) in Amsterdam, the Marquis de La Force (Dialogues des Carmélites) at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Ruprecht (L’Ange de feu) at the Opéra national de Lyon, Capulet (Roméo et Juliette), Pandolfe (Cendrillon) and the Marquis de La Force at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Don Gaspar (L’Ange de Nisida) in London, Mamma Agata (Viva la Mamma) at the Opéra national de Lyon and the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the title role of Don Pasquale in Tours and Dijon, Baron Scarpia (Tosca) at La Monnaie in Brussels, Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and in Caen and Des Grieux (Manon) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. During the 2024-2025 season, he notably performed the role of Hamm (Endgame) in Berlin and the baritone part in Frank Martin's In terra pax in Munich. At the Paris Opera: participation in numerous productions since 1994, including Manon (Des Grieux), 1997, 1998; Platée (Citheron / a sathyr), 1999, 2002; L'Elisir d'amore (Belcore), 2006, 2007; Madame Butterfly (Sharpless), 2019; Oedipus (the High Priest), 2021; Romeo and Juliet (Capulet), 2023; Don Pasquale (title role), 2023; Cinderella (Pandolfe), 2023; Medea (Creon), 2024
Tatsuki Sasanuma
Tatsuki Sasanuma is a Japanese cellist born in Tokyo in 1994. He began learning the cello at the age of 7 and quickly distinguished himself with his exceptional talent. His musical career has been marked by numerous accolades, including first prize and the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) Prize at the 65th All-Japan Student Music Competition in the high school and cello division. He also won first prize at the 2013 Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Music Competition, as well as second place in the string category at the 12th Tokyo Music Competition. He also earned a prize in the cello category at the 83rd All-Japan Music Competition. Tatsuki Sasanuma regularly performs at renowned festivals around the world, such as MusicAlp, the Kitakyushu International Music Festival, the Tokachi Music Festival, the Melbourne Cello Festival, and the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. He has also shared the stage with renowned musicians such as Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, 2CELLOS, and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. A member of the Amabile Quartet, La Luce String Octet, and the Rizzle Trio, he notably won Third Prize and the Special Prize for Best Performance of a Commissioned Work at the 65th ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2016 with the Amabile Quartet. His talent has been recognized by Japanese royalty, with a solo recital at Gakushuin University in June 2017 in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Currently a student at the Alfred Cortot École Normale de Musique de Paris, Tatsuki Sasanuma has studied cello with great masters such as Vaclav Adamila, Nobuo Furukawa, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Henri Dumarquette. In chamber music, he has had the opportunity to study with professors such as Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki. He is also the guest principal cellist of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. As a CHANEL Pygmalion Days artist, he performs with an exceptional cello, a C.F. Landolfi (1771) on loan from the Munetsugu Collection.
Sayaka Shoji
Sayaka Shoji has become internationally recognised for her unique artistic versatility and detailed approach to her chosen repertoire. Her creative insight into musical languages with large, expressive tonal palette comes from her mix of European and Japanese backgrounds. Born in Tokyo, Shoji moved to Siena, Italy when she was three. She studied at Accademia Musicale Chigiana and Cologne’s Musikhochschule, and made her European debut with Lucerne Festival Strings and Rudolf Baumgartner at the Lucerne Festival and then at the Musikverein, Vienna at the age of fourteen. Since winning first prize at the Paganini Competition in 1999, Sayaka Shoji has been supported by leading conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Semyon Bychkov, Mariss Jansons and Yuri Temirkanov to name a few. She has also worked with renowned orchestras including The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Los Angeles and New York philharmonics, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, The Mariinsky Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of the 2025/26 season include returns to the Israel Philharmonic with Lahav Shani, Sinagpore Symphony with Masaaki Suzuki, San Francisco Symphony, and debut with Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monaco, and Ensemble Resonanz with Riccardo Minasi. She also will collaborate with Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky and Francois Leleu. Last season saw her performances with San Francisco Symphony, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She also performed for the opening concert of the new Busan Concert Hall, alongside pianist/conductor Myung-whun Chung. Alongside her usual concert activities, Shoji has created an experimental visual-music project, ‘Synesthesia’ in 2007, and exposed oil-paintings and video-art works. Her first video work (Shostakovich Prelude coll. with P.Frament) was chosen in a group exposition ‘Au-delà de mes rêves’ in 2014 among the most renown artists such as Y.Kusama, S.Calle, R.Longo. Shoji has also collaborated with Tadao Ando, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Saburo Teshigawara in numerous occasions. A prolific recording artist, Shoji has released eleven albums on Deutsche Grammophon including Prokofiev, Sibelius and Beethoven violin concertos with St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov, and previous recordings include a recital album with Menahem Presseler. In autumn 2022, she released a new album with longtime collaborator, Gianluca Casiocli which includes Mozart’s violin sonatas, following her previous album of complete Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin. Shoji won the Mainichi Art Award in 2016, one of Japan’s most prestigious awards, presented to those who have had a significant influence on the arts. In 2012, she was named one of The 100 Most Influential People for Japan in future by Nikkei Business. Sayaka Shoji plays a Stradivarius ‘Recamier’ c.1729 kindly loaned to her by Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd.