Tokyo Children’s Violin Competition Tokyo Children’s Violin Competition

Jury Panel

Head of Jury

Fuminori Shinozaki - Violinist

Fuminori Shinozaki began studying violin at the age of three under the guidance of his parents. In 1981, he entered the Vienna Conservatory, and the following year, made his concert debut at the Konzerthaus in Vienna.

He went on to win numerous prizes at prestigious competitions across Europe and built an active international career as a soloist and chamber musician.

After returning to Japan in 1988, he performed with leading orchestras including the Gunma Symphony and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. From 1997 to March 2025, he served as Concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

He has received many honors, including:

  • The 33rd Music Pen Club Japan Award (2020)
  • Kitakyushu Citizens’ Cultural Award (1979)
  • Fukuoka Prefecture Cultural Award (2001)
  • Arima Award (2014)

Currently, he serves as Music Advisor to the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, Cultural Ambassador for Fukuyama Reed & Rose, and Chairman of the board of Music Force.
https://music-force.jp/

Message from the Head Judge

Human beings are full of potential.The word “education” comes from educere, meaning “to draw out.” I believe that true education lies in drawing out each individual’s innate potential, then giving it direction and guidance — what we might call instruction. These two elements must come together to form real education.

It is our mission, as adults, to discover and nurture the limitless possibilities within each child. And few things are more powerful than music in providing the kind of external stimulus that sparks that growth.

We live in an age of abundance, convenience, and relative peace — and perhaps because of that, our emotions are too often overlooked or suppressed. At this competition, we believe in the power of music to move the heart and cultivate the soul.

Here, we do not focus solely on technical excellence. We shine a light on music as a form of true communication — where children play with intention and connect through their own sensitivity.

What they gain is more than harmony — it is the foundation of individuality and meaningful dialogue. We hope this competition will allow children to sense one another through music and develop the strength to live as their true selves.

This is the vision of the Tokyo Children’s Violin Competition. And we believe it is a step toward nurturing future global citizens — compassionate, expressive, and connected.

Jury Members

Kumio Horiuchi
[Former President, Ongaku no Tomo Sha Corp.]

After graduating from the University of Tsukuba (formerly Tokyo University of Education), Horiuchi joined Ongaku no Tomo Sha, one of Japan’s leading music publishers. He worked as a music journalist covering folk and new music, and gained hands-on experience in live sound production through his role in Weekly FM Sound Special.

He was instrumental in launching the Ongaku no Tomo Hall, and later contributed to the foundation of the Sendai International Music Competition (formerly the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Sendai).

In 1991, he led the music division of the John Manjiro Japan–US Friendship Festival, a national cultural event supported by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and major corporations.

Horiuchi served as Director of New Media, Publishing Executive Officer, and from 2005 to 2023, held the position of President and CEO of Ongaku no Tomo Sha.

Rio Yamase
[Director, Rion Music Academy / Violinist / Hardanger Fiddle Performer]

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Rio Yamase is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music, majoring in violin. She studied violin with the late Toshiya Eto, and Hardanger fiddle with the late Hallvard Kvåle in Norway.

Since 1992, she has performed internationally with orchestras and held concert tours across Japan and the Nordic region, including performances at the Munch Museum Hall in Oslo. In Norway, her playing has been so widely appreciated that newspapers once wrote, “When Yamase plays, the church begins to swing.”

She has appeared in leading media across Scandinavia and Japan, including NHK’s Studio Park, Meikyoku Album, and LaLaLa Classic, as well as in major publications such as The Asahi Shimbun and The Nikkei.

Yamase served as music director, composer, and performer for Hayao Miyazaki’s short film Water Spider Monmon and contributed to Tales from Earthsea (Gedo Senki) by Studio Ghibli.

She has released several albums under Victor Entertainment and was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of Hardanger in 2018. In 2023, she was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her efforts to promote Nordic music and culture in Japan.

Teruhiko Ikegami
[Senior Media Producer, Nikkei Inc. / Music Journalist]

A graduate of Waseda University, Ikegami began his career at The Nikkei as a journalist in the Securities and Industry Departments. He went on to serve as Frankfurt Bureau Chief and held editorial leadership roles in the Culture, Visual Media, and Advertising Research divisions.

As a music journalist, he contributes reviews and essays to major publications and writes liner notes for CDs and concert programs. His multimedia classical series, Visual Music Hall, has been widely acclaimed.

He currently authors the popular column “Heartwarming Stories Behind Great Music” on art NIKKEI, the cultural platform of Nikkei Inc.

Yoshimichi Okuda
[Music Critic / Broadcaster / Author]

Born in Tokyo, Okuda studied violin and later majored in German literature and Western music history. He pursued further studies in Vienna and has worked with NHK, Nippon TV, WOWOW, and BS Tele Tokyo as a classical music commentator and broadcaster.

He has served as the voice of NHK’s New Year’s Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic for over 20 years, and regularly hosts segments for Music no Izumi, Midnight Concert Hall, and Opera Fantastica on NHK Radio.

He is also a presenter on the Japan Philharmonic’s YouTube series “2-Minute Guide to the Orchestra for Adults”.

His publications include “Understanding the Violin” (Yamaha Pocket Culture Series). He serves as a board member of the Music Appreciation Promotion Foundation, Music Force, and the Tokyo Junior Orchestra Society, and is a jury member of the Huppel Tosu Piano Competition and an advisor to the New National Theatre.

Special Guest Judges

Gérard Poulet
[Violinist / France]

Gérard Poulet is a world-renowned French violinist and revered pedagogue. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11 and graduated with top honors just two years later. At 18, he won the International Paganini Violin Competition.

Poulet studied with legendary masters such as Zino Francescatti, Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, and Henryk Szeryng. He has performed as a soloist with the Orchestre de Paris, the French National Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and many others.

He served for many years as Professor at the Paris Conservatoire and, after retirement, was invited to teach as a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai). He is currently a Guest Professor at Showa University of Music.

Deeply fond of Japan, Poulet spends much of his time between France and Japan. In 2019, he was awarded the Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters, France’s highest cultural honor.

In the same year, he established the Gérard Poulet Violin Competition in Japan, which includes instrument loan opportunities for young musicians.
To date, he has released over 70 recordings, and most recently recorded the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in August 2023 — the day before his 85th birthday. In December 2023, he recorded the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia under the baton of Kazuki Sawa.
https://www.gerard-poulet.com/

Hitomi Nanami
[Violinist / Japan]

Born in Ōta City, Tokyo, Hitomi Nanami began playing the violin at the age of two under the guidance of her father, a certified Suzuki Method instructor. She graduated from both the undergraduate and graduate programs of Kunitachi College of Music, and began her professional career as a violinist.

She is a former member of the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo and has performed in concerts and recordings throughout Japan.

Since 2020, she has gained wide attention for her creative performance videos and free-style arrangements on YouTube under the project name “Naname-Hidari”.
Her channel has exceeded 7 million total views and has garnered over 40,000 subscribers.

Nanami is also the founder and director of Nana’s Music School, where she offers both private lessons and ensemble programs, sharing the joy of violin playing with children and adults alike.