Shunsuke Sato

Musical activities

Sato started his concert career in the United States at age 12, by winning the Young Concert Artists first prize in 1997, performing throughout North America, Europe, and Japan as a soloist with orchestras such as Baltimore Symphony, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (United States), Minnesota Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Omsk Academy Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Gulbenkian Orchestra, and Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sato's New York recital debut in 2000 was quoted as his concert was a knockout...has developed an astonishing level of poise and musicality in the New York Times by Allan Kozinn on 24 October 2000.

In 2001, Sato became the youngest artist performed Beethoven's violin concert at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany, which was broadcast through Deutsche Welle.

He was a recipient of loan by Nippon Music Foundation and a winner of Idemitsu Music Award in 2005 sponsored by Idemitsu Kosan, one of leading oil companies in Japan.

In 2007, as a violist, Sato recorded viola solo sonatas written for Sato by Akira Nishimura for Camerata Tokyo.

He was educated by Chin Kim, Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki at the Juilliard School, Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute, Gérard Poulet at Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Mary Utiger at Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Munchen.

As a baroque violinist, he won the Second Prize and the Audience Award at the 17th International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany in July, 2010. The Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan chose Sato to be a recipient of the New Face Prize in Music Division at its 65th Arts Festival based on his Baroque recital which took place in Tokyo on 29 October 2010.

In 2011 October, Sato made a UK debut in Cambridge and London with the Academy of Ancient Music under direction of Richard Egarr, performing Niccolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 with gut strings on a period instrument.
in 2013 December, Sato with German pianist and harpsichordist Andreas Staier performed duo recitals at the Izumi Hall in Osaka, at the Toppan Hall in Tokyo, Japan performing Mozart's sonatas.

In 2013 January, Sato was appointed as a concertmaster of the Netherlands Bach Society Orchestra, succeeding Johannes Leertouwer, as well as of the Concerto Köln.
In 2013 January, he received a special baroque violin - Giovanni Grancino, Milan around 1695 - on loan from the Jumpstart Jr. Foundation in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
In 2013 November, the Amsterdam School of the Arts announced their appointment of Sato as a guest teacher to the Early Music Department.

In 2015 August, Sato made a Canada debut in Montreal with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under direction of Kent Nagano, performing Johan Sebastian Bach's Violin Concerto No.1 with a period instrument.
The live concert was recorded by Radio-Canada and nationally broadcast on Radio-Canada Télé, on ICI ARTV, on Radio-Canada's music network ICI Musique in 2015 Sep, and on medici.tv in 2015 October.

In 2016 November, Antonio Vivaldi's the Four Seasons live recorded in Kempen, Germany performing Concerto Köln with Sato as a soloist was released by Berlin Classics.

In 2016 September, Sato made Australian debut in Sydney and Melbourne with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra under direction of Paul Dyer, performing Niccolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No.4 with gut strings. In the tour, Sato directed Felix Mendelssohn's String Symphony No. 3 and Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite Op. 40. The live concert in Melbourne was recorded and broadcast by ABC Classic FM,in February 2017 it was released in CD from ABC Classics.

Discography

Sato has released following CDs.

* 2005　Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin　(Label: Live Notes)
Recorded: August 2004/Released: January 2005
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month (February 2005)
Asahi Shimbun: The Critics' Recommendation (February 2005)
Mainichi Daily News: The Critics' Choice (February 2005)

1. Sonata in G minor op.27 no.1
2. Sonata in A minor op.27 no.2
3. Sonata in D minor "Ballade" op.27 no.3
4. Sonata in E minor op.27 no.4
5. Sonata in G major op.27 no.5
6. Sonata in E major op.27 no.6

* 2006　Preludes: Favorite Miniatures　(Label: Live Notes)
Recorded: November 2005/Released: March 2006
(composer: see below/ piano: Takashi Sato)

1. George Gershwin～Heifetz：Three Preludes
2. Lili Boulanger：: Nocturne
3. Victor Herbert：・À la Valse
4. Piotr Tchaikovsky～Auer：Lensky's Aria
5. Percy Grainger～Kreisler：Molly on the Shore
6. Antonín Dvořák～Kreisler：Songs My Mother Taught Me
7. Alfredo D'Ambrosio～Elman：Serenade
8. Manuel Ponce～Heifetz：Estrellita
9. Jacques Ibert～Heifetz：Le petit âne blanc
10. Robert Schumann～Milstein：Abendlied
11. Cecile Chaminade～Kreisler：Sérénade espagnole
12. Moritz Moszkowski～Sarasate：Guitarre
13. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov～Kreisler：Chanson arabe
14. Felix Winternitz～Kreisler：Dance of the Marionette
15. Claude Debussy～Roque：La plus que lente
16. Henryk Wieniawski～Kreisler：Caprice in E-flat
17. Henryk Wieniawski；Polonaise Brillante

* 2007　Edvard Grieg: Complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano　(Label: Live Notes)
Recorded: June 2007/Released: October 2007
Grand Prize awarded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Government of Japan), 62nd National Arts Festival 2007　
Contents(composer:Edvard Grieg/ piano：Takashi Sato)

1. Sonata no.1 in F major, op.8
2. Sonata no.2 in G major, op.13
3. Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45

* 2008　Shunske Sato Plays: Violin and Viola Solo Sonatas by Akira Nishimura　(Label: Camerata)
Recorded: March 2007 /Released: March 2008
Contents:　(composer:Akira Nishimura)

1. Sonata No. 1 for violin ('Incantation') (2005)
2. Sonata No. 2 for violin ('Trance Medium')(2005)
3. Sonata No. 3 for violin ('Characters of flame')(2007)
4. Monologue for solo violin (1995)
5. Sonata No. 1 for viola ('Whirl dance') (2005)
6. Sonata No. 2 for viola ('Mantra on the C string')(2007)
7. Fantasia on 'Song of the Birds', for viola (2005)
8. Threnody, for viola (1999)

* 2009　Nicolò Paganini: 24 Caprices, op.1 (world premiere recording on period instrument) (Label: UCJ Japan)
Recorded: January 2009/Released: April 2009
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month (May 2009)
Mainichi Daily News: The Critics' Choice (May 2009)
Early Music America Magazine (Volume 17, Number 4, Winter 2011): IN CONCLUSION Hats Off, Gentle People! Is the Revolution Over? (by Anthony Martin)
Contents(composer: Nicolo Paganini：24 Caprices Op.1)

1. Caprice no.1 in E major
2. Caprice no.2 in B minor
3. Caprice no.3 in E minor
4. Caprice no.4 in C minor
5. Caprice no.5 in A minor
6. Caprice no.6 in G minor
7. Caprice no.7 in A minor
8. Caprice no.8 in Eb major
9. Caprice no.9 in E major
10. Caprice no.10 in G minor
11. Caprice no.11 in C major
12. Caprice no.12 in Ab major
13. Caprice no.13 in Bb major
14. Caprice no.14 in Eb major
15. Caprice no.15 in E minor
16. Caprice no.16 in G minor
17. Caprice no.17 in Eb major
18. Caprice no.18 in C major
19. Caprice no.19 in Eb major
20. Caprice no.20 in D major
21. Caprice no.21 in A major
22. Caprice no.22 in F major
23. Caprice no.23 in Eb major
24. Caprice no.24 in A minor

* 2011 Joseph Haydn：『Oxford』、Violin Concerto No.1、Ludwig van Beethoven：Symphony No.2　Hidemi Suzuki＆Orchestra Libera Classica、Shunske Sato(Label:Arte Dell'arco Japan) Concert Live Recorded: 24 October 2010 / Released: 26 May 2011
Daily Yomiuri: The Recommended New CD Of The Month (June 2011)

Contents:

1. Haydn：Violin Concerto No.1 in C Major Hob.VIIa:1
2. Haydn：Symphony No.92 in G Major Hob.I:92『Oxford』
3. Beethoven：Symphony No.2 in D Major op.36

* 2012 July 31　Georg Philipp Telemann: 12 Fantasias for Violin without Bass (Label: Live Notes)
The Record Geijutsu: The Editor's Choice (Oct 2012)
The Ongakuno Tomo: The Best New Cd of the Month (Sep 2012)
Recorded: December 2011/Released: 31 July 2012
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month (Aug 2012)
Asahi Shimbun : The Critics' Recommendation (Aug 2012)
CD Journal: Editor's Choice (Sep 2012)

Contents(composer: Georg Philipp Telemann：12 Fantasias for Violin without Bass)

1. Fantasia no.1 in B-flat major TWV
2. Fantasia no.2 in G major TWV
3. Fantasia no.3 in F minor TWV
4. Fantasia no.4 in D major TWV
5. Fantasia no.5 in A major TWV
6. Fantasia no.6 in E minor TWV
7. Fantasia no.7 in E-flat major TWV
8. Fantasia no.8 in E major TWV
9. Fantasia no.9 in B minor TWV
10. Fantasia no.10 in D major TWV
11. Fantasia no.11 in F major TWV
12. Fantasia no.12 in A minor TWV

* 2014 October 20　Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven: Haydn Symphony No. 67, Mozart Violin Concerto No.1, Beethoven Symphony No.4 Hidemi Suzuki＆Orchestra Libera Classica、Shunske Sato (Label:Arte Dell'arco Japan)

Contents:

1. Mozart：Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat Major K.207
2. Haydn：Symphony No.67 in F Major Hob.I-67
3. Beethoven：Symphony No.4 in B flat Major op.60

* 2016 November 18　Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Concerto Köln & Shunske Sato (Berlin Classics Germany)

The Best Classical Music Album of the year by Deutschlandradio

The Best Classical Album of the year by Junge Weld

Contents:

1. Concerto No. 1 in E major The Four Seasons: Spring Op. 8, No.1 RV 269
2. Concerto No. 2 in G minor The Four Seasons: Summer Op. 8, No.2 RV 315
3. Concerto No. 3 in F major The Four Seasons: Autumn Op. 8, No.3 RV 293
4. Concerto No. 4 in F minor The Four Seasons: Winter Op. 8, No.4 RV 297

* 2017 February 3　The Romantics - Grieg | Mendelssohn | Paganini Australian Brandenburg Orchestra & Shunske Sato (ABC Classics Australia)

Contents:

1. EDVARD GRIEG: From Holberg’s Time – Suite in the Olden Style
2. FELIX MENDELSSOHN: String Symphony No. 3 in E minor
3. NICCOLÒ PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor