Naoko Shimizu

Artist photo of Naoko Shimizu - viola

Naoko Shimizu gained high recognition for placing first in the 1997 Munich International Music Competition Viola Division, becoming the first person in 21 years to win this prize since Yuri Bashmet. She has also won the International Markneukirchen Competition in 1995, 2nd prize (without 1st prize winner) in the 1996 Geneva International Music Competition. She is also the recipient of many other honors. Shimizu studied violin under Etsuko Hirose and Toshiya Eto at Toho Gakuen College of Music, and viola under Nobuo Okada. From 1994, she attended the Academy of Music in Detmold Germany studying viola under Nobuko Imai. In 1994, she participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, winning the CD Jackson Prize. From 1995 to 1998, she participated in the Marlboro Music Festival, and also participated in the American tour of the Marlboro Music Festival in 1997, 1999 and 2000. She performed repeatedly with many domestic and foreign orchestras such as Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the SDR Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, and the Frankfurt Opernhouse and Museum Orchestra, Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra and Halle Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo City Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, she gave debut recitals in New York and Washington DC, making her concerto debut in New York in 2000. She also performs widely in Europe to this present day. Since 2001, she became the principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


CDs released by GENUIN

with Naoko Shimizu

CD album cover 'Werke für Bratsche und Klavier' (GEN 10193) with Naoko Shimizu, Özgür Aydin

Werke für Bratsche und Klavier

von Brahms, Schubert, Hindemith

Naoko Shimizu viola
Özgür Aydin Piano

GEN 10193  –  20.5.2011

CD album cover 'Werke für Viola und Klavier' (GEN 04042) with Naoko Shimizu, Özgür Aydin

Werke für Viola und Klavier

von Robert Schumann, Benjamin Britten
und Kenji Bunch

Naoko Shimizu viola
Özgür Aydin Piano

GEN 04042  –  1.11.2004