Open Master Classes Violin – Cultivating the young talent of the next generation

[Notice of Cancellation]

“Skills recognized throughout the world”are an important asset that Akiko Suwanai has gained through her experience as a celebrated violinist.
International Music Festival NIPPON’s master classes (open lessons) enthusiastically impart these skills to young musicians.
Ms. Suwanai was deeply impressed by the master class she took as an elementary school student. As a result, she has been determined to provide even children of that age with high-quality guidance from professional musicians. The two-day master class period brings together young people’s dreams of becoming successful musicians, and the music festival’s dream of supporting their aspirations.
The master classes are sure to provide a rich and meaningful experience for all.

[Instructors] Akiko Suwanai
Svetlin Roussev

[Dates] Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15,2020

[Location] Tokyo College of Music, Ikebukuro Campus MAP

Master Class Schedule

※Capacity: 10 persons.
※Each participant receives a lesson from each instructor over the two days.
※The lesson schedules of participants will be decided by the festival office.

Tokyo College of Music, Ikebukuro Campus

Saturday, March 14

Saturday, March 14 Akiko Suwanai Svetlin Roussev
11:00〜11:50 11:00〜11:50
12:00〜12:50 12:00〜12:50
13:00〜13:50 13:00〜13:50
14:30〜15:20 14:30〜15:20
15:30〜16:20 15:30〜16:20

Sunday, March 15

Sunday, March 15 Akiko Suwanai Svetlin Roussev
11:00〜11:50 11:00〜11:50
12:00〜12:50 12:00〜12:50
13:00〜13:50 13:00〜13:50
14:30〜15:20 14:30〜15:20
15:30〜16:20 15:30〜16:20
Class Completion Concert by master class participants

Information for Auditors

・All master class lessons will be open to general auditors.
・On Sunday, March 15, at 18:00, a Class Completion Concert by the master class participants will be held.
・Auditing tickets for master class lessons ＜¥1,000 (including tax) each day＞ and for the Class Completion Concert by master class participants ＜¥500 (including tax＞ will go on sale in February 2020 through Japan Arts Pia.

Open Master Class Application Guidelines

Dates Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15,2020
Location Tokyo College of Music, Ikebukuro Campus
Eligibility Applications will be accepted regardless of nationality. Participants must attend all events of the master class.
*A Japanese interpreter will be present in the lessons of Svetlin Roussef.
Number of participants to be accepted 10 persons x 2 lessons
(Each participant will receive lessons from both Akiko Suwanai and Svetlin Roussef.)
Tuition Fees Elementary school students (age 6-12 in principle) ¥10,000 (including tax) ／ Junior high school students and older (age 13-25 in principle) ¥50,000 (including tax)
Lesson time 50 minutes for each lesson
Class Completion Concert Sunday, March 15, A Class Completion Concert by the Participants will be held
Travel and accommodation expenses Travel and accommodation expenses must be covered by the participants themselves.
Audition Pieces Please send us an audio-visual recording of your performance of two pieces that you select (about 15 minutes long in total). One piece must be a virtuosic work (such as Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Sarasate, Waxman).
Study piece Please select piece(s) to study in the class. (It does not necessarily have to be the audition pieces.)
Accompanists (piano) Hiroko Komoriya, Eri Hayashi (They will be accompanists in the Class Completion Concert as well.)
Application and Screening
Participants will be decided by comprehensive evaluation, referring to the audition recordings.
Please send the following with the Application Form
(1) The required information
(2) An audio-visual recording of a performance by the applicant, made within the past year
<To apply on line>
Please follow the format of the application form below, and post your performance recording to YouTube.
First, set the YouTube video to “Private.”
In the “Comments” field, enter your name; the title of the piece performed; and the date, time and location of the recording.
Then post the video.
Open Master Class Application Form
Application deadline Applications must be received by Monday, December 9, 2019.
Applicants will be notified of the results by e-mail in early February, 2020 (period to be confirmed).
Please send applications and inquiries to International Music Festival NIPPON Executive Committee, Master Class Office
Phone：03-3499-8090
E-mail：masterclass@japanarts.co.jp
Address: 2-1-6 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8905 (Japan Arts)
Cancellation policy Cancellations cannot be accepted after an applicant has passed the audition and paid the class tuition fee by bank transfer.
If a successful applicant cancels his/her participation due to unavoidable circumstances, the class tuition fee cannot be refunded.
Open Master Class Application Guidelines

Akiko Suwanai (Violin / Artistic Director of International Music Festival NIPPON 2020)

Akiko Suwanai was the youngest ever winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. She has performed with the world’s foremost orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and Berlin Philharmonic, under the batons of Ozawa, Maazel, Dutoit, and Sawallisch, just to name a few. She has appeared in numerous international music festivals including the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein, Lucerne and others. In 2018, Akiko Suwanai participated in Marth Argerich’s chamber music festival in Hamburg, the Rosendal Festival with Leif Ove Andsnes, and the Bratislava Music Festival, and performed with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire and Staatskapelle Dresden. She also performed with Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin in Berlin and Japan in February and March 2019. Suwanai was a jury member of the violin divisions of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium in 2012 and 2015, and of the Concours International Long-Thibaud-Crespin in 2018. Since 2012, Akiko Suwanai has been Artistic Director of the International Music Festival NIPPON, which she plans and produces. She has released 14 CDs on the Decca label.
Akiko Suwanai studied at Toho Gakuen Music High School and completed the Soloists’ Diploma Course of Toho Gakuen College of Music. After studying at the Juilliard School and Columbia University on the Artist Overseas Training program sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, she received a master’s degree in Music from the Juilliard School. She also studied at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Akiko Suwanai performs on the Stradivarious “Dolphin” violin from 1714, which has been loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation.

Svetlin Roussev（Violin）

Born in Bulgaria, Svetlin Roussev has won numerous prizes at many international competitions, including Indianapolis, Long-Thibaud and Melbourne. At the Sendai International Music Competition he also garnered the audience prize and the Best Bach concerto performance. He is concertmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.In his home country, Svetlin Roussev is Artistic Director and Artist in Residence of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. He enjoys an established reputation as a charismatic violin virtuoso. He has performed as a soloist under the batons of conductors such as Myung-Whun Chung and Yehudi Menuhin, and is a highly appreciated chamber music partner of musicians including Jean-Marc Luisada and Eric Lesage.