3rd Prize Viola 2023 Takehiro Konoe, Japan
· Biography
Born in Amsterdam in 1997, violist Takehiro Konoe, first began playing the violin at the age of four with Coosje Wijzenbeek. He is currently studying viola with Nobuko Imai and Francien Schatborn at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Takehiro won first prize at the 2020 International Johannes Brahms Competition. He is also the third prize winner of the ARD International Music Competition 2018. He performs internationally, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. With the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Symphonieorchester and the Orchestra da Camera di Caserta, he performed the Bowen and Hoffmeister viola concertos. Since 2018, he has participated every year in the Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Geneva. He performed chamber music with his twin sister Mayu Konoe and pianist Lucas Jussen as part of a master class by Menahem Pressler. Takehiro plays on a copy of a "Carlo Bergonzi" viola, built in 1991 by Roger Hargrave. He was awarded the third prize at the 72. International ARD Music Competition.
