Akiko Suwanai won the International Tchaikovsky Competition as the youngest winner in 1990. The next year she started to study in New York.
She has performed with numerous prestigious orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Akiko gave the world premiere of the Peter Eötvös’ Violin Concerto “Seven” at the Lucerne Festival with the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra led by Pierre Boulez in 2007.
She was also soloist for the Japanese premiere of the same piece collaborating with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eötvös himself and for the premieres in other countries.
In 2012, Akiko Suwanai participated in the jury of the violin section of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium. At the same year, she launched the International Music Festival NIPPON and became its artistic director.
Akiko Suwanai studied at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and completed its Soloist Diploma Course, before studying with the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists at Columbia University and the Juilliard School of Music.
She received her master degree at Juilliard. She was also trained at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.
Akiko Suwanai performs on the Stradivarius ‘Dolphin’ violin from 1714, which has been kindly loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation.
It's an honor for me that the “International Music Festival NIPPON”, launched in 2012, marks its fifth edition this year.
This festival’s concept consists of four major pillars, which are “Top Quality”, “Introduction Education”, “Collaboration with Art” and “Charity Heart”.
Since 1990, after being selected the winner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, I have been able to meet innumerable wonderful people through my musical career.
This year, held in Tokyo, Nagoya and Kuji, the festival hosts chamber music concerts by those who won the Tchaikovsky Competition in the past.
Also, we will give the world-premiere of a new piece composed by Dai Fujikura, a young Japanese composer based in the UK who has written numerous works for notable artists and orchestras. At the same time, as usual, we will carry out diverse projects including educational programs and musical events while blending in other artistic genres.
I sincerely wish, through this festival, to share with many people the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained on my path so far and to be an aid for the development of the artistic, musical culture.
Please look forward to the fifth International Music Festival NIPPON.
