Emiko Yuasa

Born in 1995 in Japan, Emiko Yuasa studied at Toho-Gakuen Music High School, and graduated from Toho-College of Music in Tokyo, where she studied violin with Yumino Toyoda and viola with Ryo Sasaki. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Viola at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Hariolf Schlichtig, and studied chamber music with Quatuor Ebène and Rafaël Merlin. She received further chamber music inspiration from Eberhard Feltz, Dirk Mommertz and Sadao Harada.

Emiko Yuasa won 1st prize at Hindemith International Viola Competition in 2021 and 2nd prize at Tokyo International Viola Competition in 2022.

In addition to winning Audience Prizes in these two competitions, she also won 3rd prize at the 27th International Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach in 2020 and Special Prize at the 13th Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in 2019.

As a passionate chamber musician, she has played in a string quartet for many years, and in 2023 her ensemble won 2nd prize at the 77th Concours de Genève. The quartet won 3rd prize at the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition in 2023, and was a semi-finalist at the ARD International Competition in 2022, where they won a special prize.

Emiko has participated in masterclasses led by Antoine Tamestit, Lawrence Power, Lars Anders Tomter, Veit Hertenstein, Eberhard Feltz, William Coleman, and Nobuko Imai, among others.

She currently receives a scholarship from Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now München e.V. and Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

Emiko plays on a viola by Wolfgang Scharff.

She has been first Solo Violist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2024.