Tokyo Music Competition
ARAI Rio
Violin
Born in: Tokyo Metropolis, Japan
1st place, and Audience Award, String Section, The 15th Tokyo Music Competition 2017
Musical Careers
| Artist Profile | ARAI Rio was born in Tokyo in 1999. She enrolled in the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts as a scholarship student and graduated from the university at the top of class, winning the Acanthus Music Prize and the Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. Prize. While at Tokyo University of the Arts, she was also awarded: the Fukushima Prize, the Ataka Prize, and the MIYATA Ryohei Scholarship. Her competition winning awards are many, including: ⁃ 2017, 1st Place and Audience Award, String Section, the 15th Tokyo Music Competition ⁃ 2018, 1st Place, Leucadia Prize, Sumi Prize, and Kuroyanagi Prize, the 87th Music Competition of Japan ⁃ 2024, 3rd Place and the Special Prize for Best Interpretation of Schubert’s Sonata, the 20th Khachaturian International Competition Meanwhile Arai went to Europe and graduated from Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland. The orchestras with which she has previously performed are as follows: the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo; the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra; the Sinfonietta de Lausanne; the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra; the Macao Orchestra; the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra; the Tokyo Philharmonic; the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra; the New Japan Philharmonic; the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra; the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra; the Gunma Symphony Orchestra; the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra; the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra; the Osaka Symphony Orchestra; the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra; the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra; the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra; the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra; and the Geidai Philharmonia Orchestra. She has held numerous recitals as well as performing with other musicians such as the pianist ITOH Kei and the cellist TSUTSUMI Tsuyoshi. In addition, Arai participated in the Takefu International Music Festival. In 2020, she has also been featured as a soloist of Fendi’s worldwide project “Fendi Renaissance–Anima Mundi.” Her radio and other media appearances include NHK programs and TV Asahi’s “Daimei no nai Ongakukai (Untitled Concert)” to name a few. In 2021, her recital at the Takasaki City Theatre for T-Shot Series has been released as her solo debut album “RIO ARAI in Concert.” In 2026, she has founded Arven Quartet with the violinist ISHIHARA Yuki, the violist YUASA Emiko, and the cellist MIZUNO Yuya. Arai has previously studied under Gérard POULET, NAGAMINE Takashi, SAWA Kazuki, YAMASAKI Takako, HORI Masafumi, TAMAI Natsumi, and Janine JANSEN. Currently, she studies under Augustin DUMAY at Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. She plays J.GAGLIANO violin on loan from Nippon Violin Co., Ltd. Other grants and awards history: 2017, MUNETSUGU Tokuji Fund scholarship at Tokyo University of the Arts 2020, the 17th Best Debutant of the year (an award aimed at discovering and supporting emerging creators hosted by Men’s Fashion Unity, Japan) 2020–2022, the Yamaha Music Foundation scholarship 2023, 2024; the Rohm Music Foundation scholarship |
|---|