Meet violinist RISA HOKAMURA

First came to international attention upon winning the Silver Medal at the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, where she performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Performs the Saint-Saëns Concerto this season as part of a special “Violin Virtuosos” gala concert with the Greensboro (NC) Symphony Orchestra led by Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Her two major violin teachers, Mayuko Kamio and Koichiro Harada (founding first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet) also began their careers with Young Concert Artists.

UPSTAGE (Indianapolis): “Risa Hokamura had a startling abundance of firm glow in her sound. Her playing was both powerful and

reflective, both sweet and steely.”

BACHTRACK.COM (London):

“There is no doubting Risa Hokamura’s lively talent and independence of spirit.”

YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS, INC. 1776 Broadway, Suite 1500 New York, NY 10019

Telephone: (212) 307-6655 management@yca.org www.yca.org

First Prize, 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions

Tannery Pond Concerts Prize

Ruth Laredo Award of YCA

Ronald Asherson Prize of YCA

RISA HOKAMURA, violin

Photo: Matt Dine

NOTE: When editing, please do not delete references to Young Concert Artists, nor special prizes. Please do not use previously dated biographies. 08/2019 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS, INC. 1776 Broadway, Suite 1500 New York, NY 10019 Telephone (212) 307-6655 www.yca.org

RISA HOKAMURA, violinist Japanese violinist Risa Hokamura won First Prize in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions at the age of seventeen, as well as the Tannery Pond Concerts Prize, the Ruth Laredo Award, and the Ronald Asherson Award of YCA. She follows in the distinguished footsteps of her two major violin teachers, who also began their careers with Young Concert Artists: Koichiro Harada (founding first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet) and Mayuko Kamio. Ms. Hokamura began the violin at the age of three, and at the age of ten she began to capture top prizes in competitions in Japan. She first came to international attention upon winning the Silver Medal at the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, where she performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin. In celebration of her medal, she returned to Indianapolis to perform a special “Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalists Debut” concert. This season’s appearances include the Saint-Saëns Concerto as part of a special “Violin Virtuosos” gala concert with the Greensboro (NC) Symphony Orchestra led by Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Risa Hokamura is currently a student at the Tokyo College of Music High School, and she was featured on a benefit concert for the school at Tokyo’s Metropolitan Hall. Upcoming performances in Japan include a reengagement as soloist with the Kansai Philharmonic.

COMPETITIONS & AWARDS

November 16, 2018 | By Brian Wise, Musical America

Five Up-and-Comers Signed to Young Concert Artists

Young Concert Artists on Sunday named five winners of its annual auditions: violinists Randall Goosby and Risa Hokamura, pianists Maxim Lando and Aristo Sham, and cellist

Jonathan Swensen.

They will join the YCA’s roster, which includes three years of management and promotion services and YCA-presented recitals in New York and Washington, D.C.

In the ceremony, which was live-streamed, several impresarios took the stage to make

verbal offers of recital dates to the musicians.

Open to instrumentalists ages 16-26 and singers ages 20-28, the competition had 12

finalists in the final heat; YCA Founder/Director Susan Wadsworth chaired a ten-member jury that included conductor Gerard Schwarz, violinist Chee-Yun, pianist Jerome

Lowenthal, and cellist Fred Sherry.

https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=41574&categoryid=3&archived=0

Young Concert Artists Winners Announced

by BWW News Desk - Nov. 13, 2018

The First Prize Winners of the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions are:

22-year-old American violinist Randall Goosby

17-year-old Japanese violinist Risa Hokamura

16-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando

22-year-old Chinese pianist Aristo Sham

22-year-old Danish/American cellist Jonathan Swensen

The Young Concert Artists International Auditions differ from a competition, as there are no rankings, and any number of winners can be selected - with each candidate competing against a standard of excellence, not each other. These young musicians will join the roster of Young Concert Artists, a nonprofit founded in 1961, which provides management services, concert engagements including debuts in New York and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, publicity and career guidance. www.yca.org

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/Young-Concert-Artists-Winners-Announced-20181113

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CLASSICAL MUSIC NEWS

BREAKING | 5 1st Prizes Awarded at

NY Young Concert Artists

International Auditions 5 1st prizes have just minutes ago been awarded at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions - in

New York City

November 11, 2018

5 1st prizes have just minutes ago been awarded at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International

Auditions – in New York City.

The 2018 1st prize winners are:

22-year-old American violinist Randall Goosby

17-year-old Japanese violinist Risa Hokamura

16-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando

22-year-old Chinese pianist Aristo Sham

22-year-old Danish/American cellist Jonathan Swensen

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All 5 winners will be invited to join the Young Concert Artists’ roster – granting access to a

minimum of 3 years management services, career engagements, publicity and career

guidance – plus coveted recital debuts in New York City and at the Washington DC Kennedy

Center for the Performing Arts.

The Young Concert Artists International Auditions differ from a competition, as there are no

rankings, and any number of winners can be selected – with each candidate competing

against a standard of excellence, not each other.

This year’s final round jury comprised: Susan Wadsworth (Chair), vocalists Peggy

Bouveret and Randall Scarlata, violinists Koichiro Harada and Chee-Yun, pianists Jerome

Lowenthal and Ilana Vered, violist Scott Nickrenz, cellist Fred Sherry and

trumpeter/conductor Gerard Schwarz.

Previous recipients include: Pinchas Zukerman, Ida Kavafian, Chee-Yun, Emanuel Ax, Murray

Perahia and Anne Akiko Meyers – and VC Artists Paul Huang, Bella Hristova, Benjamin

Beilman, Ray Chen, Stephen Warts, Zlatomir Fung, Edgar Moreau, Xavier Foley, SooBeen

Lee and Zlatomir Fung.

https://theviolinchannel.com/young-concert-artists-international-auditions-2018-1st-prize-winners/

Laurie Niles

Violinists Randall Goosby and Risa Hokamura

Among 2018 Young Concert Artists Winners

November 14, 2018, 1:29 PM · On Sunday the New York-based Young Concert

Artists announced five First Prize Winners in its annual International Auditions for 2018.

They are:

Violinist Randall Goosby, 21 of the U.S.

Violinist Risa Hokamura, 17 of Japan

Pianist Maxim Lando, 15 of the U.S.

Pianist Aristo Sham, 22 of China

Cellist Jonathan Swensen, 21 of Denmark/U.S.

2018 Young Concert Artists First Prize Winners, L-R: Maxim Lando; Aristo Sham; Risa

Hokamura; Randall Goosby; Director Susan Wadsworth; Jonathan Swensen.

The five young musicians will join the roster of Young Concert Artists, which provides

management services, publicity, career guidance and concert engagements, including

debuts in New York and at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Young Concert Artists is a non-profit organization founded by Susan Wadsworth in 1961,

dedicated to discovering and launching the careers of exceptional, but unknown, young

musicians from all over the world. YCA gives no rankings, and any number of winners can

be selected – with each candidate competing against a standard of excellence, not each

other.

The jury for this year's final round included chairman Susan Wadsworth; plus musicians

(many of them YCA alumni) Peggy Bouveret, Randall Scarlata, Koichiro Harada, Chee-

Yun, Jerome Lowenthal, Ilana Vered, Scott Nickrenz, Fred Sherry and Gerard Schwarz.

https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/201811/27537/

RISA HOKAMURA, violin

REPERTOIRE WITH ORCHESTRA

J. S. BACH Concerto No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1041 Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1042 BRAHMS Concerto, Op. 77

BRUCH Concerto No. 1 in G Major, Op.26 DVORAK Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53

LALO Symphony Espagnole, Op. 21

MENDELSSOHN Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 MOZART Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 217

Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 PAGANINI Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6 “La Campanella” from Concerto No. 2 in B Minor RAVEL Tzigane, Rhapsodie de Concert SAINT-SAËNS Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61

Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28

SARASATE Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

TCHAIKOVSKY Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 8

WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy

WIENIAWSKI Polonaise de Concert No. 1 in D Major, Op. 4