English Profile

Born in Ishikawa, Japan, Mariko Kikuchi began studying the violin at the age of three with the Suzuki method. She studied under Hideaki Nakamura while an elementary school / junior high school student. She also studied under Viktor Pikaĭzen. She received an incentive prize at the Chugoku Youth Music Competition.

 

She graduated from Chiba Prefectural Tsudanuma High School, where she specialized in music. Studying under Mieko Kawai, she performed in numerous concerts with top other students while in school. At the 4th Legacy Violin Competition, she won the Silver Prize(highest rank) and received the “Rotary Club of Saitama Central award”, which is given to the best outstanding performer among junior high school and senior high school students.

 

She graduated from Tokyo College of Music majoring in Violin. In addition to violin performances, she also honed her ensemble technique with a variety of artists as a member of an orchestra.

 

Participated in former Berlin Phil concertmaster, Leon Spierer's String Seminar, and performed in the concert with the instructor from the NHK Symphony Orchestra and others. She also performed in the orchestra pit for the opera, Rigoletto conducted by Myung-whun Chung with selected students. As an orchestra member, she played with Yulianna Avdeeva and Dmitry Feygin.

 

She participated in a concert tour of Europe with other top students as a member of the symphony orchestra at Tokyo College of Music conducted by Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi. Played with Jing Zhao(violoncello) at Civic Center, Teplice and Smetana Hall, Prague. Played with Miyuji Kaneko(piano) at Müpa Budapest.

At the music university, she studied the violin under Yoshio Unno, Yasuko Ohtani, Keiko Shimada and chamber music under Saiko Azuma, Seiji Kageyama, Kuniko Kawai and Dmitry Feygin and orchestra under Kosaku Yamaoka and Leon Spierer.

 

After graduation, she performs with orchestras, chamber ensembles and solo as a professional player while teaching younger people. She performed in LA FOLLE JOURNEE au JAPON “A Day of Enthusiasm” Music Festival 2012 at the Tokyo International Forum. Participated in a series of the Senzoku Ensemble Academy Concerts conducted by Wilfried Strehle, Ryo Sasaki, Werner Hink, Carlos Spierer and Leon Spierer. She participated in concerts by Nanashi Orchestra and and Toshima Jung Orchestra.

 

She is in charge of 2nd violin in String Quartet Arco. Passed Phoenix 2013 audition, the quartet took a master class with the Japan String Quartet. Arco has performed in big events such as opening performance in Yahoo! Japan byline news author’s conference 2015, Celebration party of Yellow ribbon Medals of Honor by Government of Japan, conference of an academic association. Also has performed in an event in the Embassy of Italy in Tokyo, wedding receptions in famous hotels, famous temples, kindergartens, hospitals etc.