Yo Kitamura Wins the 92nd Music Competition of Japan (Cello Division)!

On October 25, 2023, cellist Yo Kitamura (19) won first prize in the Cello Division of the 92nd Music Competition of Japan! This splendid achievement followed his first prize showing in the International Johannes Brahms Competition in September this year.

Yo Kitamura (19) was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 2004. He has studied with Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Nobuko Yamazaki. He won first prize in the 29th International Johannes Brahms Competition in September 2023, after winning first prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2017 and second prize in the 2022 Khachaturian International Competition. From autumn 2023, Kitamura is studying with Jens-Peter Maintz at Berlin University of the Arts.

In the final round of the competition, Kitamura performed Dvorak’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kosuke Tsunoda. His rich musicality and future promise were highly evaluated. He commented that he had thoroughly faced Dvorak and he could bring out his best out of his conviction.
Kitamura plays a 1668 “Cassini” cello, on loan from Ueno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Please continue to follow Yo Kitamura’s activities.

　◇Yo Kitamura photo/profile
　　⇒ https://www.japanarts.co.jp/artist/yokitamura/

　◇92nd Music Competition of Japan (Cello Division)
　　⇒ https://oncon.mainichi-classic.net/