On March 16th, I recorded a violin recital at Kioicho Salon Hall. The violinist was Mana Kobayashi, and the recital was part of the "Young Artist Support Project" organized by Sakura Music Office.
The Young Artist Support Project is a project to support the promising young generation. Its aim is to support the growth of performers from various angles, from the perspective of the performers, by providing them with stimulating opportunities to expand their repertoire, gain a real sense of awareness as a performer, and become aware of new discoveries and possibilities through experiences such as performing with famous artists and solo recitals.
This recital was held to commemorate winning the Grand Prix and Best Award at the 10th Saitama String Competition.
Mana Kobayashi: Profile
3rd place in the 31st All-Japan Junior Classical Music Competition; 4th place in the 28th Japan Classical Music Competition, upper elementary school division; 3rd place in the 14th International Junior Music Competition, junior high school division; Special Prize in the 23rd Japan Performers Competition; 4th place in the junior high school division of the 1st Yokohama International Violin Competition; 1st place and runner-up in the SAKURA JAPAN MUSIC COMPETITION 2022 category B; Grand Prize and overall grand prize in the Sainokuni String Competition 10th category D; 1st place in the high school division of the 2nd Yokohama International Violin Competition; 1st place in the general division of the 19th Czech Music Competition 2023.
She studied violin under Sachika Mizuno and Naori Tamai, and is currently in her first year at the Tokyo University of the Arts Music High School.
I have been to Kioicho Salon Hall several times for recordings, and it is an elegant salon with a capacity of 80 people. The permanent Steinway (1989/made in Hamburg) was once used at the Karuizawa hall when Russian pianists Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vovka Ashkenazy performed in Japan, and inside the piano you can still see the signatures of the father and son, who praised the piano as a wonderful instrument after their performance. The location is in Kioicho, Chiyoda Ward, in the heart of Tokyo. It is easily accessible, just a five-minute walk from Nagatacho, and I felt it was a great place to hold such a recital.
I thought that Mana Kobayashi's performance was charming with her flexible bowing and lively, powerful sound. I think the guests who came to the concert were pleased with the ambitious program.
As she is only a first year high school student, she has plenty of room to grow, so I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
We'd like to introduce two songs from the recording that day.
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