Megan Clarke

Hailed by critics and audiences alike, Japanese violinist Coco Tomita first gained public recognition after winning the BBC Young Musician 2020 Strings Category. Her success led to an invitation to record a debut album with Orchid Classics, numerous approaches by music festivals across the UK, and an extensive concert tour of Japan. She was named as ‘One to watch’ by Gramophone Magazine and ‘Young Classical Star’ by Classic FM. Her debut album ‘Origins’ received a succession of rave reviews from The Strad, Gramophone Magazine, BBC Music Magazine and The Guardian, among others, and was selected as ‘Disc of the month’ by Apple in April 2022. 

Based in London and Berlin, the 2022/23 season sees Coco perform around the UK and includes debuts with London Mozart Players performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and in recital at St George’s Hall Bristol with Simon Callaghan.

Coco recently completed her triumphant debut tour of Japan, highlights of which were her concerto debut with Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Masahiko Enkoji, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Axelrod at the Suntory Hall, Tokyo. She has also appeared as a soloist with Philharmonie Baden-Baden and Bath Philharmonia.

Born into a musical family, Coco began to play the violin when she was four years old. At age ten she made her debut at Cadogan Hall, London, with Southbank Sinfonia and has performed in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

She has won numerous prizes at international competitions and festivals, including Golden Medals at the Vienna International Music Competition and Berliner International Music Competition, Carl Flesch Prize at the Carl Flesch Academy, and 1st prize at the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition where she also won the Duke of Devonshire Award. 

Coco began her early training at the Yehudi Menuhin School with renowned pedagogues Natasha Boyarsky and Lutsia Ibragimova. Since 2021, she has been studying under the guidance of Professor Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin. 

Coco performs on a violin made in 2015 by Frédéric Chaudière of Montpellier.

 

See: Coco Tomita and Simon Callaghan at Breinton on Saturday 23 March 2024