• Hailed by critics and audiences alike, Japanese violinist Coco Tomita first gained recognition after winning the BBC Young Musician 2020 Strings Category. Her success led to an invitation to record a debut album with Orchid Classics, numerous approaches by music festivals across the UK, and an extensive concert tour of Japan. She was named as ‘One to watch’ by Gramophone Magazine and ‘Young Classical Star’ by Classic FM. Her debut album ‘Origins’ received a succession of rave reviews from The Strad, Gramophone Magazine, BBC Music Magazine and The Guardian, among others, and was selected as ‘Disc of the month’ by Apple in April 2022.

    Orchid Classics have invited Coco to record her second album. Due for release in autumn 2024, it will feature music by Debussy, Enescu, Janáček & Prokofiev.

    Based in London and Berlin, Coco had her triumphant debut tour of Japan in 2022 highlights of which were her concerto debut with Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Masahiko Enkoji, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Axelrod at the Suntory Hall, Tokyo. She has also appeared as a soloist with London Mozart Players, Philharmonie Baden-Baden and Bath Philharmonia. 

    In recital Coco performs regularly with Simon Callaghan. This year she made her debut at the Dubai Opera and has several appearances around the UK including Saffron Hall and Bechstein Hall. Last season Coco made debuts at Harrogate International Festival and St George’s Hall, Bristol.

    She has won numerous prizes at international competitions and festivals, including Golden Medals at the Vienna International Music Competition and Berliner International Music Competition, Carl Flesch Prize at the Carl Flesch Academy, and 1st prize at the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition where she also won the Duke of Devonshire Award. 

    Born into a musical family, Coco began to play the violin when she was four years old. At age ten she made her debut at Cadogan Hall, London, with Southbank Sinfonia and has performed in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. 

    Coco began her early training at the Yehudi Menuhin School with renowned pedagogues Natasha Boyarsky and Lutsia Ibragimova. Since 2021, she has been studying under the guidance of Professor Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin. 

    Coco performs on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (Milan 1758) kindly loaned to her by Florian Leonhard Fine violins.

  • As one of the most promising violinists of his generation, Kyota Kakiuchi is currently the youngest concertmaster of the Berlin University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra. 

    His musical journey began at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK, where he studied with Akiko Ono from the age of 10. He is continuing his musical training at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he currently studies under the guidance of Nora Chastain, Marlene Ito and members of the Artemis Quartet. 

    In 2023, Kyota made a successful debut as a duo with his sister, violinist Emiri Kakiuchi, at the Munetsugu Hall in Japan. His orchestral experience includes concerts and tour engagements with the Berlin Philharmonic’s Karajan Academy as well as a decade-long association with the Super Kids Orchestra in Japan as one of the selected soloists under the direction of maestro Yutaka Sado. 

    Kyota has received several international awards including the Christina Bach-Marschall Foundation prize at the 33rd Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition and 1st prize (no 2nd prize given) at the 12th Grumiaux International Violin Competition among others. 

    Through collaborations with the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra including Noah Bendix-Balgley and the Scharoun Ensemble, Kyota founded the GIFU-KANO International Music Festival in his hometown of Gifu, Japan. The first edition of the festival back in November 2023 was a huge success and he now serves as a producer of general management. 

    Kyota currently performs on a violin by Giuseppe Guadagnini (1780).

  • Eighteen-year-old Emiri Kakiuchi is quickly establishing herself as an exciting young violinist within the classical music scene.

    In 2023, she won 2nd prize at the 42nd Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition in Italy as the youngest competitor, as well as three special prizes and a recital invitation in Italy which she completed earlier this year with great success. Emiri has also won a number of other competitions in the past including the 70th All-Japan Student Music Competition in Nagoya (1st prize), the 12th Grumiaux International Violin Competition (2nd prize) and the 9th Louis Spohr International Violin Competition (finalist). 

    Emiri’s talent was further highlighted through her many performances with her brother, Kyota Kakiuchi as a violin duo. In 2023, the duo made a successful debut at Munetsugu Hall in Japan and performed alongside the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at GIFU-KANO International Music Festival.

    Since the age of 11, Emiri had been a member of the Super Kids Orchestra led by maestro Yutaka Sado. During her time with the orchestra, she participated in regular performances and charity events for earthquake relief. By 2023, she had risen to the principal second violin position, showcasing her skill and leadership. 

    Emiri studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK, supported by the government scholarship where she was trained by Akiko Ono. At 17, she moved to the Berlin University of the Arts, where she currently studies with Professors Nora Chastain and Marlene Ito. She has also received guidance from Christoph Horak and Keiko Urushihara. 

    Emiri performs on a violin by Santo Serafin (1725). 

  • Sixteen-year-old violinist Yume Tomita is a grand prize winner of the “Il Piccolo Violino Magico” International Competition for Young Violinists in Italy. She is also a former prize winner at the Ilona Feher International Violin Competition in Hungary (1st prize), Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy (2nd prize) and Grumiaux International Violin Competition in Belgium (3rd prize).

    Yume was born in the UK in 2008 and began to play the violin when she was five years old. She was invited to give her first recital at the age of seven in Italy, and in the following year she was awarded a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School where she studied with Natasha Boyarsky, Diana Galvydyte and Ning Kam. Yume is currently studying with Dr. Robin Wilson. She has also received guidance from renowned violinists including Kolja Blacher, Zakhar Bron, Alina Ibragimova, Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Clara-Jumi Kang, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas, Shlomo Mintz and Qian Zhou in various international masterclasses.

    Yume’s concerto debut came in 2019 with Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra in Budapest and her recent highlights include appearances at Cremona Mondomusica in Italy, numerous concerto engagements with Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni also in Italy and an appearance in Klassiek Leeft Festival in Belgium.

    Yume has recorded Sarasate Navarra for 2 violins with her sister Coco Tomita and YMS Orchestra for Orchid Classics released in spring 2024. She will also be featured in Coco Tomita’s upcoming second album due to be released from Orchid Classics in autumn 2024.

    Yume performs regularly on a violin made for her in 2020 by Frédéric Chaudière of Montpellier. On a number of other occasions, she has also performed on violins by G.B. Guadagnini and A. Amati kindly loaned to her by a generous sponsor through the Beare’s International Violin Society.