Kana Sugimura

Kana Sugimura was born in New York to Japanese parents and took up the violin at the age of five. Studying privately with Yfrah Neaman in the U.K., she continued her studies with Takashi Shimizu at the Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai). After graduation on highest marks, she served a year as assisting faculty. On receiving a grant from the Meiji-Yasuda Foundation, she went on to study with Krzysztof Wegrzyn at the Hannover University of Music and Drama.

She has been awarded prizes at many international competitions such as the Premio Trio di Trieste Chamber Music Competition (duo with pianists Natsumi Ohno and quartet with Flex Ensemble), the first International Violin Competition in Qingdao, China, Jeunesses Musicales International Competition in Belgrade and the Hannover International Violin Competition.

Kana Sugimura has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Japan Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Osaka Century Orchestra, the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, Baltic Symphony Orchestra, and the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra.

In 2007, together with the Linos Ensemble, she gave the premiere of the arrangement of the violin concerto of Alban Berg, by Andreas Tarkmann. As guest concert master, she has collaborated with the St.Gallen Symphony Orchestra, the South West German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim and the Northern German Broadcasting (NDR) Radio orchestra. Kana is co-founder and violinist of the Germany based piano quartet Flex Ensemble, and concert master of chamber orchestra Musica Assoluta.

Ms Sugimura currently teaches at the Hannover University of Music and Drama.