JAPAN
Takamori Arai was born in Nagoya, Japan on October 25, 1990. In 2021, Takamori won the 1st prize of the 1st Ibla Grand Award Japan by unanimous decision of the judges. As a winner of the competition, he was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Ibla Music Festival in Ragusa, Italy.
He studied with Eduard Schmieder at the Boyer College of the Temple University in Philadelphia, being a recipient of a full scholarship. Before coming to Philadelphia, he graduated the Tokyo University of the Arts with the top score and was given the Acanthus Music Prize for his outstanding achievement. During his college years he studied with professors Takashi Shimizu, Sungsic Yang, Eszter Perényi, Dong-Suk Kang, and Pierre Amoyal. He was selected numerous times as a soloist to perform with the university’s symphony orchestra, and played under the baton of such conductors as Kazuki Sawa, Douglas Bostock, and Ken Takaseki.
In 2014 Takamori was selected as a soloist of the Musical Activity Supporting System by the YAMAHA Music Foundation, and has been invited at iPalpiti Festival in California every summer. He won the 4th prize at the Music Competition of Japan in 2010, and was a semi-finalist of the Bartók International Violin Competition in 2017.
PROGRAM
Online Round
Bach Grave and Fugue from Sonata in A minor for Solo Violin
Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major K. 218 (1st movement with cadenza)
Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major Op. 30 No. 3
Enescu “Ménétrier” from Impressions d’enfance Suite Op. 28
Paganini Caprice No. 1
Semifinal
Ravel Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major
Enescu Sonata No. 2 in F minor for Violin and Piano Op. 6
Saint-Saëns / Ysaÿe Caprice d’après l’étude en forme de valse
Final
Brahms Violin Concerto in D major Op. 77
