Takako Nishizaki

BBS BBS may refer to: Ammunition * BBs, BB gun metal bullets * BBs, airsoft gun plastic pellets Computing and gaming * Bulletin board system, a computer server users dial into via dial-up or telnet; precursor to the Internet * BIOS Boot Specificat ...

(born 14 April 1944) is a Japanese

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist. She was the first student to complete the Suzuki Method course, at age nine.

Biography

Nishizaki went to the United States from Japan in 1962. She first studied with

Broadus Erle Broadus Erle (March 21, 1918 – April 6, 1977) was an American violinist. Born in Chicago and reared in Toronto, Erle began his violin studies at age 3, taught by his mother, Brownie Earl. (She herself was a violin student of Broadus Farmer, ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, and later with

Joseph Fuchs Joseph Philip Fuchs (April 26, 1899 or 1900 – March 14, 1997) was one of the most important American violinists and teachers of the 20th century, and the brother of Lillian Fuchs. Born in New York, he graduated in 1918 from the Institute of M ...

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. Takako Nishizaki profile
naxos.com; accessed 9 March 2015. In 1964, she was a runner-up in the Leventritt Competition, in which

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

won first prize. In 1966, she was awarded Juilliard's Fritz Kreisler Scholarship. In 1969, she won first prize in the Juilliard Concerto Competition performing

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

’s Sinfonia Concertante with violist

Nobuko Imai , is a Japanese classical violist with an extensive career as soloist and chamber musician. Since 1988 she has played a 1690 Andrea Guarneri instrument. Biography Imai began her musical training at the age of six. She began studying at Tokyo' ...

. Some of Nishizaki's recordings with

Slovak Philharmonic The Slovak Philharmonic or Slovak State Philharmonic (Slovenská filharmónia) is a Slovak symphony orchestra based in Bratislava. Founded in 1949, the orchestra has resided since the 1950s in the Baroque era Reduta Bratislava concert hall constr ...

under Kenneth Jean by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

of famous

violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

s are highly ranked by ''

The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. She has performed and recorded with pianists such as Andras Schiff, Jenö Jandó and

Michael Ponti Michael Ponti (29 October 1937 – 17 October 2022) was a German-American classical pianist. He was the first to record the complete piano works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. He made more than 80 recordings, around 50 of rarely play ...

, and has performed in a number of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

ensembles. Nishizaki is married to the Naxos label owner

Klaus Heymann Klaus Heymann (born 22 October 1936) is a German entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Naxos Records, Naxos record label. Biography and career Heymann was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and studied Romance languages and English at the Univer ...

, and teaches violin in Hong Kong, where she was awarded the

Bronze Bauhinia Star The Bronze Bauhinia Star (, BBS) is the lowest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of Ch ...

in 2003 for her work in classical music and charity.

Discography

Nishizaki's recording of

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's "Four Seasons" has sold over a million copies.

References

External links

Takako Nishizaki performance reviews digest

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishizaki, Takako Japanese classical violinists Living people Juilliard School alumni 1944 births Yale University alumni Women classical violinists Recipients of the Bronze Bauhinia Star 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century women musicians