Saturday, June 21, 2025, 3:00 PM​

Saitama Arts Theater, Music Hall​

• Piano: Keigo Mukawa
• Violin: Yu Kurokawa
• Clarinet: Alessandro Beverari

Witold Lutosławski: Dance Preludes
Igor Stravinsky: Suite from “The Soldier’s Tale”
Béla Bartók: Contrasts
Maurice Ravel: Violin Sonata in G Major
Paul Schoenfield: Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano

Saitama Arts Foundation

Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi(Cello)

When Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi won the International Casals Competition in Budapest in 1963, the press called him a musician “whose discovery is comparable to that of David Oistrakh in the Brussels Competition in the 1930s.” Born in Tokyo, Mr. Tsutsumi’s early training with Hideo Saito led him to his debut at the young age of 12 with Tokyo Philharmonic, performing the Saint-Saens concerto. Appearances with Japan’s leading orchestras followed, as did several major prizes, including the Japan’s most prestigious; the Mainichi (Japan) Music Competition.

Audiences have since heard Mr. Tsutsmi’s solo appearances with the ORTF in Paris, the Berlin Radio Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony, London Philharmonia, the Czech and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and many others. He has appeared with many great conductors and orchestras such as, Seiji Ozawa and the Toho Gakuen Orchestra at the United Nations; at Avery Fisher Hall with the NHK Symphony; Mustislav Rostropovich and the National Symphony.

He taught the University of Illinois before joining the faculty of Indiana University as Professor of Music in the fall of 1988. He was frequently invited to conduct master classes at places like Talent Education Institute (Japan), Orford Arts Center (Canada), Lyon Conservatoire(France), Banff Centre(Canada) and Holland music session(The Netherlands). He has also been invited as a jury member of prestigious international music competitions such as the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, ARD in Munich, M. Rostropovich in Paris, CBC/SRC in Ottawa, Osaka International in Osaka.
In 2009, he was awarded Japan’s Medal with Purple Ribbon, the highest honor in Japan. He is also a member of the Japan Art Academy since December 2009.

Mr. Tsutsumi has various CD releases with Sony and Meister Music. He is also known as a recipient of the Suntory Award for his contribution to music in Japan and was presented National Academy of Arts Prize in music by the Emperor. In 1997, he was elected the first President of Japan Cello Society, and in 2000 elected Music Director of Kirishima International Music Festival and Director General of Suntory Foundation for ARTS.
He was also elected the President of Suntory Hall in September 2007 and he was the President of Toho Gakuen School of Music for nine years . Now he is also Specially appointed professor, Toho Gakuen School of Music(1976 -), and The visiting professorship at Korea National University of the Arts School of Music(2017-).

Yu Kosuge(Piano)
With her superlative technique, sensitivity of touch and profound understanding of the music she plays, Yu has become one of the world’s most noted young pianists.
Yu Kosuge has been giving recitals and performing with orchestras since early childhood. At the age of nine she made her debut with the Tokyo New City Orchestra. In 1993, she moved to Europe to pursue studies with Karl-Heinz Kammerling in Hannover and Salzburg and in recent years has received great support and inspiration from Andras Schiff.
Yu Kosuge appears at the most important venues in Berlin, Hamburg, Koln, Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Washington and New York. Her Carnegie Hall debut recital met with outstanding success with critics praising her “acutely poetic sensibility…wit, drama, and effulgent lyricism.”
Recent highlights include performing at the Salzburg Festival with Philippe Herreweghe and Camerata Salzburg, performances in La Roque d’Antheron with Jacek Kaspszyk/Sinfonia Varsovia, the Japanese premiere of Tan Dun’s Piano Concerto ‘Fire’ with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer in Japan and a tour with the NDR Hannover Radio SO under Eiji Oue. As well as regular performances in Asia with the Singapore Symphony and all the major Japanese orchestras, Yu Kosuge has worked with many of the leading European orchestras including the NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Berliner Sinfonie Orchester, Radio-Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, Camerata Salzburg, St Petersburg Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Radio Symphony Orchestra Finland,. Yu Kosuge has performed with conductors of the stature of Seiji Ozawa, Jun Markl, Philippe Herreweghe, Rudolf Barschai, Alexander Dmitriev, Gerd Albrecht, Lawrence Foster, Sakari Oramo, Christian Arming, Yutaka Sado, Osmo Vanska, Vasili Petrenko and Dennis Russell Davies.
She has been invited to festivals in Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Passau, Braunschweig, Kissingen, at the Salzburger Festspiele, Mozartwoche Salzburg, Holland Music Festival, Piano Festival Lille, La Roque d’Antheron piano festival and La Folle Journee de Nantes, France.
In addition to her busy concert schedule in Europe, Yu performs regularly in Japan, where her tours with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo, Seiji Ozawa and the New Japan Philharmonic inspired rave reviews and great public acclaim.
In September 2009 Sony released Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto with Mito Chamber Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa and selections from Songs Without Words. This is her 10th CD, since her first disc featuring the Chopin Etudes (accorded a five-star rating by Fono Forum Magazine). Yu Kosuge’s other recordings on Sony include Liszt’s 12 Etudes d´execution transcendante, Chopin’s Preludes and Nocturne, Mozart’s Piano Concertos, Fantasie and Live at Carnegie Hall. Yu Kosuge’s plans include recording the Beethoven’s 32 Sonatas over the next few years.
Yu Kosuge lives in Munich.

All Japan Piano Teachers Association (PTNA)​

Keigo Mukawa / Piano
In 2021, Keigo Mukawa achieved 3rd place at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, one of the world’s top three competitions. In 2019, he secured 2nd place at France’s prestigious Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition. These accolades from two competitions with long histories and traditions have garnered him significant attention.
Currently based in France, Mukawa engages in a wide range of performances, including concertos, solo recitals, and chamber music. His repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, and he is acclaimed for his pursuit of stylistic beauty unique to each era and composer, as well as his diverse tonal palette. In addition to modern piano, he delves into the study of fortepiano performance practices.
In 2022, Mukawa released “Ravel: Complete Works for Solo Piano” under NOVA Record. The album was re-released in 2024 by Etcetera Records and received high praise from publications such as “Le Monde.” To commemorate the release, he held a four-day recital series at Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, all of which sold out. The following year, he conducted a five-day consecutive performance at the same venue, captivating many fans with his meticulous program structure and experimental presentations.
Recently, his passionate performance of Messiaen’s “Turangalîla-Symphonie” with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung has left a lasting impression.
Mukawa has performed in countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Prague Philharmonia, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Belgian National Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic.
Additionally, he has published his own piano solo arrangement of Ravel’s “Ma mère l’Oye” through Muse Press.

Yu Kurokawa / Violin
Yu Kurokawa won 1st place at the 75th Japan Music Competition, along with the Iwatani Prize (Audience Award) and three other special awards. He also received the Audience Award at the 6th Sendai International Music Competition.
He has performed with major orchestras both in Japan and abroad, including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Spanish National Orchestra, Prague Chamber Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, and Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. In addition to orchestral performances, his recitals and chamber music concerts have also been highly acclaimed.
Kurokawa has received numerous awards for his performance activities, including the Idemitsu Music Award, Aoyama Music Award (Aoyama Prize), Kyoto City Arts Newcomer Award, and Okayama Arts and Culture Grand Prize.
His discography includes a live recording CD of his performances with the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra as part of the “Masterpiece Live Series.” In 2023, he released “Brahms: Violin Sonatas” in collaboration with pianist Wataru Hisatsune. In 2025, he is set to release “J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Solo Violin.”
In recent years, he has been actively involved in concert planning through hall-organized projects and has premiered new works, including Tokuhide Niimi’s Sonitus Vitalis VI and Ichiro Hirano’s Twin Birds.
Kurokawa has made numerous media appearances, including on “Classic Club,” “Best of Classic,” “Enter the Music,” and “Untitled Concert.”
After furthering his studies in Vienna and Brussels, he completed the Master’s Program at Toho Gakuen Graduate School of Music and the Advanced Course at the École Normale de Musique de Paris. He has studied under Hideo Kojima, Chihiro Kudo, Pavel Vernikov, Keiko Urushihara, Yuzuko Horigome, Hamayo Fujiwara, Svetlin Roussev, and František Škoda.
He currently serves as a part-time lecturer at Kyoto City University of Arts and performs on a 1742 Guarneri del Gesù violin.

Alessandro Beverari / Clarinet
Born in 1988 in Verona, Italy, Alessandro Beverari started playing the clarinet at the age of 9. He graduated with top honors from the E.F. Dall’Abaco Conservatory in Verona in 2009.
In 2008, he made his debut with Verona’s renowned orchestra, the Arena di Verona, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. From 2009 to 2011, he studied under Paolo Beltramini at the Piacenza Conservatory (Italy). From 2012 to 2016, he pursued a master’s degree at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva, studying under Romain Guyot. Since 2016, he has studied with Alessandro Carbonare at the Rome Santa Cecilia Conservatory.
Beverari has won virtually all major clarinet competitions in Italy.
One of his specialties is chamber music, and he regularly performs with ensembles, including collaborations with pianist Miyuki Ishii.
He has also participated in the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival, performing under the baton of Valery Gergiev, Jun Märkl, and Andris Poga.
In 2017, Beverari was appointed as the Principal Clarinetist of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently based in Tokyo.
In recent years, he has won first prizes at the Marco Fiorindo International Clarinet Competition (Turin), the Tokyo Music Competition, and the Audi Mozart Clarinet Competition (Rovereto). He also won first place, the Audience Award, and the Hamanaka Prize at the 4th Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition (Yokosuka).
In 2019, he achieved 3rd place in the woodwind and brass division of the Tchaikovsky International Competition and 1st place at the Leoš Janáček International Competition.