2015-2016 Competition Winner – Mitsuru Yonezaki, violin

Recently featured as the young artist of Winsor Music and a rising star at the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s gala, Mitsuru Yonezaki studies with Joanna Kurkowicz, having begun the violin with Fudeko Takahashi. During her time at the NEC Prep School, Mitsuru was frequently the youngest member of the orchestras, including the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at age 11. In 2012, Mitsuru was a junior finalist at the Music Teachers National Association as the state and regional representative. She also earned the Grand Prix and Special Award for Artistic Excellence at the Kobe International Music Competition, which resulted in performance engagements in Japan and Italy. Other travel experiences include tours to Costa Rica, Slovakia, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland, which have led to performances in Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Berlin Philharmonie, among other venues. She anticipates a tour to Brazil this summer with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, of which she is the current co-concertmaster, and will return to the Perlman Music Program Summer Music School for her fifth summer.