Issey Kurihara

Violinist

After attending the Music High School Attached to the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, Issey Kurihara graduated at the top of his class from Tokyo University of the Arts. He subsequently pursued graduate studies at Toho Gakuen School of Music and is currently enrolled in its Soloist Diploma Course. He has studied with Takashi Shimizu and Boris Kuschnir.

Competitions & Awards
Japan
・First Prize, Japan Player's Competition; also awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award and the Mainichi Newspapers Award
・First Prize, The 93rd Music Competition of Japan; also awarded the Leucadia Prize, Sumi Prize, and INPEX Prize
International
・Second Prize (highest prize awarded), International Solo Violin Competition, Spain
・First Prize and Grand Prix, International Violin Competition Naleczow, Poland
・Third Prize, Vladimir Spivakov International Violin Competition
・First Prize, International Beethoven-Competition for Violin
・Second Prize (highest prize awarded), International Violin Competition 'Rodolfo Lipizer Prize'; also recipient of special prizes and other awards
・First Prize and Grand Prix, Euroasia International Competition
・First Prize, Tadeusz Wroński International Solo Violin Competition
・First Prize and Special Prize, Joseph Mayseder International Violin Competition, Austria
・First Prize, Yuri Yankelevich International Violin Competition
・Classic Violin Olympus International Competition
* Third Prize, Rome Stage
* Third Prize, Dubai Stage
・Second Prize, Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition

Orchestral Appearances
Japan
・Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
・Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra
・New Japan Philharmonic
International
・Camerata Orphica Wien, Austria
・Altomonte Orchestra St. Florian, Austria
・Brașov Philharmonic Orchestra, Romania
・National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
・Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Russia
・National Philharmonic Orchestra of Moldova, Moldova
・Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Poland
・St. Petersburg Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra, Russia

・Siberian State Symphony Orchestra
・St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

Other Appearances
・MUSIC FESTIVAL Argerich’s Meeting Point in Beppu, appearing with Martha Argerich

Kurihara performs on several distinguished historic instruments, selecting among them according to the repertoire and performance setting. These include a 1716 Antonio Stradivari violin on loan from the ITOH Foundation; a 1701 Antonio Stradivari, “ex-Markees,” on loan from an anonymous owner; a 1739 Guarneri del Gesù, “ex-Read”; and a 1693 Hieronymus Amati II, among others.

Information current as of May 31, 2026.