Saitama Kaikan Lunchtime Concert Vol. 65
String Trio by Members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra

June 17, 2025 (Tuesday)
Starts at 12:10 PM (Ends at approximately 1:00 PM)

Saitama Hall / Large Hall

• Taiga Tojo (Violin)
• Ryo Sasaki (Viola)
• Yusuke Yabe (Cello)

・Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers (from the ballet music “The Nutcracker”)

・Schubert: String Trio in B flat major D. 581 – 1st movement

・Beethoven: String Trio in G major Op.9-1

Saitama Arts Foundation

Saitama City

Taiga Tojo / Violin

Born in 1997 in Kofu City. After studying at the Mozarteum University Salzburg, he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts High School and its university. He won the All Japan Student Music Competition in the elementary division, placed third in the Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, and was a finalist in the Japan Music Competition. He has participated in the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy, the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy in Okushiga, the Rheingau Music Festival, and the Miyazaki International Music Festival. Tojo has performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, among others. His teachers include Kumiko Takehara, Koichiro Harada, Asako Urushihara, Katsuya Matsubara, Pierre Amoyal, and Régis Pasquier. He was a Rohm Music Foundation scholarship recipient in 2021 and 2022. Tojo joined the NHK Symphony Orchestra in September 2024.​

Ryo Sasaki / Viola

Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts High School and Tokyo University of the Arts, receiving the Ataka Prize during his studies. He performed with the Geidai Orchestra and won first place in the Contemporary Music Chamber Music Competition, receiving the Asahi Contemporary Music Award. Sasaki also secured second place in the Tokyo International Chamber Music Competition (Min-On) and was awarded the Lufthansa Prize. In the fall of 1992, he entered The Juilliard School in New York. During his time in the U.S., he performed recitals at Lincoln Center and was active as a solo and chamber musician across the country. He participated in the Aspen Music Festival and the Marlboro Music Festival. Sasaki returned to Japan in 2003 and joined the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 2004, becoming principal violist in 2008. He also teaches at Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo College of Music, and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music.​

Yusuke Yabe / Cello

Began playing the cello at age 8 under the tutelage of Hakuro Mori. He won second place and the E. Nakamichi Prize at the 86th Japan Music Competition in the cello division, and first place along with the Japan Broadcasting Corporation Prize at the 69th All Japan Student Music Competition in the high school division. Yabe has performed at the Miyazaki International Music Festival, Suntory Hall ARK Classics, and Riccardo Muti’s Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo. He completed the Soloist Diploma Course at Toho Gakuen School of Music and was a participating artist in the 2023 CHANEL Pygmalion Days. Yabe joined the NHK Symphony Orchestra in January 2025