Biography in English to be found at the bottom of this page.

15歳で渡英。王立音楽大学在学中、ブラームス国際コンクール、ウィンザー祝祭国際弦楽コンクールに優勝。名門フィルハーモニア管弦楽団との共演でデビューして以来、国内外の主要オーケストラと共演を重ね、世界的作曲家／指揮者ヨハン・デ・メイとは国際的な共演を経て、協奏的作品の献呈を受けるなど深い親交を結ぶ。多くの国と地域でリサイタルを行う傍ら、ワールドワイド・デビュー盤「ラフマニノフ：チェロ作品全集」、ロンドンの殿堂ウィグモア・ホール史上初のチェロ奏者による「オール・ラフマニノフ・リサイタル」、ラフマニノフ生誕150年を記念した著書（2023年秋出版予定）などで、ラフマニノフ演奏および研究に於ける確固たる実績を築いている。また、小澤征爾のもと特別結成された弦楽合奏の演奏会での独奏や、アシュケナージの提案によるプライベート・デュオ共演のほか、英国エドワード王子からは直々の招待を受けて御前独奏の栄誉を賜った。指揮者としては、ロンドンで創設したナイツブリッジ管弦楽団の音楽監督を3年間務め、チェロのロイド・ウェバーなど世界的奏者を独奏に迎えたほか、2016年には対アンゴラ外交関係樹立40周年記念事業としてカメラータ・ルアンダを指揮し、アフリカのオーケストラ史上初となる日本ツアーを成功に導いた。使用楽器は日本ヴァイオリンより貸与の1734年製ゴフリラー。2019年齋藤秀雄メモリアル基金賞受賞。

Yuki Ito, while studying at the Royal College of Music in London, won 1st prize at both the International Brahms Competition in Austria and the UK’s most prestigious Windsor Festival International String Competition. He has since been enjoying an international career, appearing with major orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Klagenfurt Symphony, Slovenian Armed Forces Band, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Symphony and Osaka Philharmonic Orchestras, whilst regularly giving recitals around the globe, as well as a private recital personally invited by HRH the Prince Edward.

He has made a particularly strong musical relationship with the world-renowned composer/conductor Johan de Meij, who has dedicated new works and arrangements to him, and as well as performing as soloist for Seiji Ozawa’s special concert under his presence, he has collaborated with many esteemed artists of various artistic fields including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Julian Lloyd Webber, Xavier de Maistre and Svetlana Zakharova.

He is widely known as specialist of Rachmaninoff’s works, demonstrated in such achievements as releasing his world-wide debut album “Rachmaninoff Complete Cello Works”, giving “All Rachmaninoff Recital” at Wigmore Hall as the first ever cellist in the legendary hall’s history, and writing his first monograph book on Rachmaninoff commemorating the composer’s 150th birth anniversary (due to be published in 2023), for which, together with his service to introducing the British cello music to wider audiences in Japan, he was awarded the Hideo Saito Memorial Award in 2019: one of the most honorable music awards in Japan.

Having been active also as conductor, he founded the Knightsbridge Orchestra in London in 2013 and, in 2016, he led the initial Japan tour of Camerata Luanda of Republic of Angola to success, historical event which marked the first tour in Japan ever by an African orchestra.

He plays a Goffriller Cello made in 1734 kindly loaned by Nippon Violin.

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