Shunsuke Sato


Shunsuke Sato is a Japanese-born, classical and baroque violinist and violist.

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, National Symphony Orchestra, 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.
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 to perform Beethoven's violin concerto at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany, which was broadcast through Deutsche Welle.
He was the recipient of a 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.
Sato was mentored by Chin Kim, Dorothy DeLay and trained and educated by Masao Kawasaki at the Juilliard School, Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute, Gérard Poulet at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, Mary Utiger at Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.
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 October 2011, Sato made his UK debut in Cambridge and London with the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of Richard Egarr, performing Niccolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 with gut strings on a period instrument. Two years later, in December 2013, Sato performed duo recitals of Mozart's sonatas at the Izumi Hall in Osaka and the Toppan Hall in Tokyo, Japan along with German pianist and harpsichordist Andreas Staier.
In January 2013, Sato was appointed concertmaster of the Netherlands Bach Society Orchestra, succeeding Johannes Leertouwer, as well as of the Concerto Köln. That same month, Sato also received a baroque violin made by Giovanni Grancino around 1695 - on loan from the Jumpstart Jr. Foundation in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
About ten months later, in November 2013, 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 his Canadian debut in Montreal with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kent Nagano, performing Johann 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 was recorded live in Kempen, Germany performing Concerto Köln with Sato as a soloist and was released by Berlin Classics.
In 2016 September, Sato made his 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.
On 11 May 2017, Sato was appointed to the 6th artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society beginning on 1 June 2018, succeeding Jos van Veldhoven.
On 16 Apr 2019, Sato received the 31st Music Award in Classical Music/Solo Performance by the Japan Music Pen Club.
As the 6th artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society, Sato carried out a concert tour with the ensemble in Kyoto, Kanagawa, Hiroshima, and Tokyo Japan.

Discography

Sato has released the following CDs.
* 2005　Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin　
Recorded: August 2004/Released: January 2005
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month
Asahi Shimbun: The Critics' Recommendation
Mainichi Daily News: The Critics' Choice
  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　
Recorded: November 2005/Released: March 2006
  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. Cécile 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　
Recorded: June 2007/Released: October 2007
Grand Prize awarded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, 62nd National Arts Festival 2007　
Contents
  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　
Recorded: March 2007 /Released: March 2008
Contents:　
  1. Sonata No. 1 for violin
  2. Sonata No. 2 for violin
  3. Sonata No. 3 for violin
  4. Monologue for solo violin
  5. Sonata No. 1 for viola
  6. Sonata No. 2 for viola
  7. Fantasia on 'Song of the Birds', for viola
  8. Threnody, for viola
* 2009　Nicolò Paganini: 24 Caprices, op.1
Recorded: January 2009/Released: April 2009
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month
Mainichi Daily News: The Critics' Choice
CD Journal:The Choice of the mouth（May 2009）
Record Geijutsu: The best album of the month（June 2009）
Early Music America Magazine : IN CONCLUSION Hats Off, Gentle People! Is the Revolution Over?
Contents
  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 E♭ 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 A♭ major
  13. Caprice no.13 in B♭ major
  14. Caprice no.14 in E♭ major
  15. Caprice no.15 in E minor
  16. Caprice no.16 in G minor
  17. Caprice no.17 in E♭ major
  18. Caprice no.18 in C major
  19. Caprice no.19 in E♭ 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 E♭ 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
Concert Live Recorded: 24 October 2010 / Released: 26 May 2011
Daily Yomiuri: The Recommended New CD Of The Month
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
* 31 July 2012　Georg Philipp Telemann: 12 Fantasias for Violin without Bass
The Record Geijutsu: The Editor's Choice
The Ongakuno Tomo: The Best New Cd of the Month

Recorded: December 2011/Released: 31 July 2012
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month
Asahi Shimbun : The Critics' Recommendation
CD Journal: Editor's Choice
Contents
  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
* 20 October 2014　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
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
* 18 November 2016　Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Concerto Köln & Shunske Sato
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
* 3 February 2017　The Romantics - Grieg | Mendelssohn | Paganini Australian Brandenburg Orchestra & Shunske Sato
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
* 26 October 2018　Bach: Violin Concertos Shunske Sato, Il Pomo d'Oro, Zefira Valova
The Record Geijutsu: The Editor's Choice The best album of the month
Gramophone: Editor's Choice
Contents:
  1. J. S. Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor BWV1041
  2. J. S. Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major BWV1042
  3. J. S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor BWV1043
  4. J. S. Bach: Violin Concerto No. 5 in G minor BWV1056R
* 7 May 2019　Étienne Méhul, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn: Méhul Opera "Stratonice" Overture, Beethoven Violin Concerto, Haydn Symphony No.94 Hob.I:94 "Surprise" Hidemi Suzuki＆Orchestra Libera Classica、Shunske Sato
Contents:
  1. Méhul：Opera "Stratonice" Overture
  2. Beethoven：Violin Concerto in D Major op.61
  3. Haydn：Symphony No.94 in G Major Hob.I-94 "Surprise"
The Record Geijutsu: The Editor's Choice
The Asahi Shimbun : The Critics' Recommendation
* 1 Aug 2019　Johann Sebastian Bach: J.S.Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin / Shunsuke Sato
Recorded: 1–4 May, 31, 2 June 2017/Released: 1 August 2019
Contents
The Ongakuno Tomo: The Best New Cd of the Month

Asahi Shimbun: For Your Collection Classic The Best Disc
Daily Yomiuri: The Best New CD Of The Month
CD Journal: The Choice of the Month