Profile

Born in Chino, Nagano, Ayako began playing the violin at the age of three, studying under Yoshie Kasai at the Suzuki Method. She won prizes in competitions such as the All Japan Student Music Competition (High School Division) and the Ichikawa City Cultural Promotion Foundation Competition. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras since a young age, including Beethoven’s Violin Concerto under Koji Toyota at 14 and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with an orchestra in Melbourne at 16. She was selected for the prestigious “10 Children Concert Tour” of the Suzuki Method. She studied at Tokyo University of the Arts, where she was chosen to perform in the university’s chamber music concert series. She also participated in renowned music festivals, including the Kitakyushu Music Festival, Kiso Music Festival, Kashimo Music Festival, and Nagano Chamber Orchestra. From 2015 to 2018, she was a member of the NHK Symphony Orchestra Academy before moving to Germany. From 2018 to 2020, she played with the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2020, she joined the Frankfurt Radio Symphony as a second violinist. She completed her postgraduate studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in 2022 under Mincho Minchev, graduating with top honors. In addition to her orchestral career, she is active as a soloist and chamber musician, performing in recitals and collaborations with fellow musicians. Her mentors include Akihiro Miura, the late Nobu Wakabayashi, Sonoko Numata, Kazuki Sawa, Koji Toyota, and Mincho Minchev.